


Land of the Blades

by James_Moriarty



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, 宝石の国 | Houseki no Kuni | Land of the Lustrous (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2019-10-14 08:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 101,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17505296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/James_Moriarty/pseuds/James_Moriarty
Summary: A weird fanfic, crossover between Land of the Lustrous and Fate Stay Night. It was inspired by a couple of pictures I saw mixing both ideas and my current obsession with the former anime. It contains spoilers. It might contain misspellings and other failures, including argumental ones. Read at your own discretion. Each chapter is narrated by either Shirou or Phos."One day, a castaway made of steel appeared on our island, and we welcomed him as one of our own."Cover art: https://imgur.com/a/HeysfFw





	1. Blades

I came to this world around three hundred years before that day, back when I was the innocent, naive, and cute me. I was the second most weak and fragile gem under Adamant Sensei's care, and the material that composed my body was very sought by the Lunarians, so fighting was not an option for me. It took me having a part of me stolen to realize something as simple as this.

I didn't have other talents either, but I wanted to help Sensei very badly, so I decided to become his personal assistant and follow him everywhere. This would mean not only I could carry a small part of his burden, but also that I would be safe all the time. Except when I accidentally bumped into him. I could also nap whenever he was "meditating", so that was a plus too.

That day, Sensei was summoned by the other gems to deal with a Lunarian that has appeared near the cliff of origins, the place where we all emerged. The weird thing is that this Lunarian acted a bit strange, keeping its distance and remaining over the water. Bort was fighting it, but they were just avoiding him. Their movements were so weird, it has attracted the attention of most of the gems that were patrolling by the time Sensei and I got there.

Sensei dealt with them pretty easily, and even the aggressive Bort calmed down a bit. Then the Amethyst twins made a surprised noise.

—Sensei, sensei! —the said in unison, looking at something that was lying on the beach—, we found a castaway!

Sensei looked towards them and froze, his eyes showing surprise and disconcert. My sight wasn't as good as his, so I had to get a bit closer to see what the Amethyst had found. It was vaguely shaped like us, with something that resembled a head, and two arms and two legs that were neither of the same size. It was grayish, and it reflected the sun's light, but it didn't glow like us. For some reason, it reminds me a bit of Obsidian's swords.

—Is that a gem? —Dia said, taking interest in the gray lump.

—It is an incomplete one —Bort claimed, approaching it—, at best it can be used to repair Phos the next time he breaks.

He poked the thing with his sword, hard enough to chip some of it away. I was about to ask Sensei to reprimand her, it has been months since I had break even once, after all. But Sensei wasn't next to me, where I had seen him just a moment before. Instead, he was next to Bort, pulling him while pushing the Amethyst away. For a moment, while Sensei was using his body to cover Bort, I saw the gray lump moving, not his extremities, but its skin. The next thing I knew was that a lot of spikes had emerged from it, barely missing the twins. Sensei has been hit by some of them, but they all broke and shattered.

—Are you alright? —Sensei gently asked to Bort, still carrying him in his arms.

He was cracked, and flustered, but ultimately in one piece.

—Y-yes, thank you —Bort said, a bit flustered. 

—Ah, that's not fair, Bort! I also want to be carried like a princess! —Dia exclaimed, making his partner blush even more.

Sensei let him go and tried to stand, but failed for an instant. Some of the pikes had pierced through his clothes and remain stuck there, pulling him down. The back of his kimono was all raggedy now.

—Red Beryl isn't going to be happy —Dia said, inspecting the damage. Sensei moved his eyebrows to shown concern and a bit of regret.

—More importantly, what is that thing? —Bort said going back to his aggressive mode—, and how did it managed to turn into spikes!

The rest of the gems who had stayed at some distance until then started to come back with their swords unsheathed, but Sensei stopped them. My body started to move towards the scene against my better judgment, shielding myself with Sensei's body. I peaked from behind him and looked at the gray thing. All the spikes had broken and "melted" and the body seemed more liquid than before. It also looked more like us, even with something that looked like a face, if one squinted his eyes.

Just as I was doing so, the thing moved, just a bit, like trying to drag himself out of the beach. It then raised his head, and his eyes crossed with mine. Or at least, the one eye he had formed. Then he collapsed. Sensei walked towards him, surprising the rest of us.

—What are you doing, sensei?! —Bort worriedly said, we all must have been thinking the same.

—It only attacked because we hurt him —he said—, we are taking him home.


	2. White

I opened my eyes to find myself in an unknown room. I didn't remember any other room, but I had the distinct feeling that I hadn't been in that one before. The ceiling was very high, there were some shelves next to a wall near, and the same wall had large windows. I was on a stone table, with my body covered by a white sheet. There were two people there, one wearing a doctor's coat and the other wearing some black clothes. I tried to get up, but it was harder than what I would expected, my body was stiff and heavy. It gave me the feeling that it wasn't really mine.

—Oh, you DID wake up —the one wearing the doctor's get up said—, rather early, it seems.

She seemed to keep her distance, unlike the other one, who stood crouched next to my bed, inspecting me with her blue eyes.

—Good morning, may I ask where I am? —I said, in the most gentle tone that I could muster. This seemed to calm both of them.

—Hmmm. It is quite unusual for a new gem to speak without being taught, more so with so eloquence —the doctor said.

—Sensei said he was very unusual, and things like this should be expected —the one with the green hair said, producing a tablet with some papers from behind her—, In any case, welcome to our land, I am Phosphophyllite, but everyone calls me Phos —she added, reading from the paper—, Ah! but since you are younger than me, I suppose you can call me Sempai.

—I am Rutile, in charge of repairs —the other said.

—I'm glad to meet you both, I'm... —I froze. Who was I? My head started hurting a bit.

—Ah, relax, relax —Phos intervened—. Normally it is Sensei who gives us names based on our composition, but he said that you were too complicated for that, even if you were mostly steel.

—Steel? —I said, looking at my hands. They looked like such or at least some kind of metal alloy. It would explain why my body felt so stiff and heavy. But if my body was made of such material, why I felt so weird having it. Then another though crossed my mind.

—Who is this Sensei that you are talking about?

That word meant someone who teaches, and the image of someone related to that concept appeared in the back of my mind, someone important to me.

—Do you want to meet him? —Phos said smiling.

She helped me get up, putting some gloves before touching me. I was wearing some sort of robe already, but it was too short, barely covering my legs. I asked Rutile if I could take the sheet that was previously covering me, and tied it up at my waist.

Walking was it own challenge, I managed to control my balance rather quickly, but I still couldn't get accustomed to the weird sensation of that body. As we walked towards the so called Sensei, we meet some of Pho's companions and she told me a bit about her world.

They were Lustrous, people made of minerals, gemstones and such, raised and taken care by their Sensei. Their island was the only thing that remained over the surface of the water after some catastrophe that had happened a long time ago. She started saying something about "Lunarians" when we got to our destination.

—I'll tell you about them later —she said, knocking on the door to announce our arrival.

She opened it and the light that entered from the windows blinded me a bit. There stood a tall figure, dressed in a black outfit that I could recognize as "religious". I felt a shiver on my spine and instinctively stood in front of Phos, but as my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw the face of that man, and calmed down. He wasn't... who exactly I was thinking about?

—I'm glad to see that you are awake and healthy —he said, approaching me. Phos moved from behind me, slightly confused, and towards him, while I tried to regain my breath.

He presented himself as Adamant Sensei, and told me pretty much what Phos had said before, adding that they had found me at the beach two weeks before.

—Do you have any past memory?

—...No.

—I see.

The ambient felt heavy, more than my own body. I could feel this man didn't had any ulterior motives, but I couldn't feel comfortable under his glare.

—As Phos told you, you are mostly steel. It is very unusual to find steel in nature, the process to create it's just too complicated. But you standing in front of us is proof enough that it can happen. However, I don't feel appropriated to give you that name due to other components inside you that I... can't identify.

—Even you can't identify them? —Phos said, surprised.

—The steel doesn't allow me to see them properly.

—Ah, I see.

Phos seemed content with that answer, I just choose to not dive further into it since I didn't understood half of what they were talking about.

—So, for the time being, is there any way you would like us to call you?

It took me a moment. I didn't had memories, but I felt like I wasn't empty. Not transparent, just white.

—Shirou.

Adamant's eyes widen a bit in surprise, but then they returned to normal in a fraction of a second.

—A fitting name. Welcome home, Shirou.


	3. Encounter

By Adamant's appointment, Phos was to guide me and teach me everything she knew. She was a bit disappointed at being away from her beloved Sensei, but she was very excited about the idea of having a student of her own. For this reason, we had left behind the building that was their home and gone into the wilderness. Having to force myself to keep up with her was very tiring, but by the time we reached our destination I had accustomed a bit to my own weight and was able to move easier.

—That is it, the place where we found you —she said, pointing to a nearby beach —but most of us came from that cliff over there, so you were either drag there by the waves or crawled your way there.

—I have no memories of doing either —I claimed, sitting in a rock. I tugged the neck of the clothes Red Beryl had given me before we started our little exploration. They were pretty identical to Phos' own attire, and were rather unisex, but they were still too frilly for my taste. Bort, who happened to be passing around, made a sympathy commentary. The shorts were too short too, so I had tied back the old sheet at my waist once Red Beryl wasn't around.

—Are you sure we should be here without having said anything to anyone? —I asked. I had noticed some of the gems carrying swords and going around in "patrols", so there should be some sort of danger around this island. I hadn't seen any wild animal, though.

—It's fine, its fine —Phos said with a carefree attitude—, Bort and Dia are patrolling very close to us, there is nothing to worry about. Also, Sensei said you were pretty strong and resistant, almost as much as him, so you can protect little me if Lunarians were to appear.

—I don't even have a sword, how am I supposed to fight? Punching them? Wait, who are the Lunarians again?

—Ah! Phos and the castaway! —Two voices in unison spoke, and looking over my shoulder I saw two identical gems. I had seen them before, but not at the same time, so it was a bit weird to realize there could be more than one gem of the same type.

—You were Amethyst...s, right?

—Exactly, I am Eighty Four —one of them said.

—And I'm Thirty three —the other added.

—You can call me Shirou.

—It is a pleasure working with you, Shirou-san —they both said entangling their hands and hitting softly each other head with their own, producing a reverb sound. Phos covered her eyes and looked away. After the sound has dissipated, Phos explained to me that gems can crack easily if they hit each other like that.

—That's not their case since they are twins, but it is still very uncomfortable to see. Please refrain to do such improper things in public.

—Sure —both said without any conviction. Then they approached me.

—Shirou-san, show us that thing that you did before! —Eighty four said.

—Yes, show us, please!—Thirty three added.

—The thing that I did?

—Ah, when we found you, Bort hit you with her sword and you turned into a mountain of spikes —Phos said.

—I don't remember doing that.

—Should I poke him with my sword? —Thirty three asked, her hand floating dangerously close to her sword's hilt.

—It's worth a try.

—Please don't, I'll try to do it myself.

I asked them to step a little back in case I actually turned into a pile of spikes, but I had no confidence. All this time I had been fighting just to move my body as it was, there was no way I could change its shape so radical. But I tried anyways, focusing on one finger. What even should I try to turn it into? A flower? That would be too complicated. They said I had turned into spikes, so that was my best option; maybe my body would remind that shape better. I closed my eyes and concentrated, feeling something like electricity moving all over my body. It was somewhat a familiar feeling.

—Trace... on... —I heard myself saying, unsure of why, and when I opened my eyes, I find it had worked, kind off. My finder had indeed turned spike-like, but my whole hand looked like it had started melting.

—Wow, impressive! —The amethyst said while clapping. Phos was also clapping, but her face showed she was visibly disturbed.

I somehow managed to return my hand to his original shape and consistence after a couple of trials.

—Oh! If you manage to make your hand like a blade, you will be able to fight even without a sword! —Phos suddenly said, and that made me remember what we were talking about.

However, before I could say anything, the Amethyst stood up and their expression became serious.

—A sun spot! —they said, pointing to a black cloud forming in the sky.

—Are those... the Lunarians?

The twins nodded. A smile draw on their faces.

—Want to see us fight them?

—...Yes.


	4. Arrow

As we ran to where the Lunarians were appearing, Phos was the one that was lagging behind now. The Amethyst explained to me the characteristics of their enemy. They came from the Moon to hunt Lustrous, and used their pieces as decorations or even as weapons. An enemy that attacked for such banal reason was unforgivable.

—Stay behind and protect Phos —said Eighty Four.

—He is very valuable, and very weak, so they might try to steal him away —added Thirty three.

—Leave it to me —I said full of confidence, though the best I could do was be a human shield for her. Then I realized something weird about the way they spoke of Phos.

—Wait, are you a boy?

—I'm a Phosphophyllite, what is a "boy"?

—Well, it is... um... —I couldn't remember, not even where I had heard that word. I knew I was one, or at least I thought I was, but what would someone who is not a boy be?

—Shirou-san, watch us carefully, this is how we fight the Lunarians!

The twins unsheathed their swords, long blades made out of Obsidian. The black cloud in the sky started to unfold and something completely unexpected appeared from within. It looked more like a painting or a parade than an enemy. There was a big statue in the middle, surrounded by what looked like smaller copies of it, however these ones moved. Some were playing musical instruments, others were carrying banners, and others aimed their bows towards us.

The Amethyst jumped and cut through the arrows that were fired. It was a bit difficult to think arrows could even hurt a person made of gemstone, but when one hit the ground it produced a small crater on it. This made me rethink the whole situation, starting to doubt the fact that I could even work as a shield for Phos.

However, the twins were drawing all the fire onto them by jumping into the Lunarians cloud-like platform, and slicing them without any noticeable effort. The defeated enemies turned into dust, which for some reason bothered me.

Finally, they sliced the head of the big statue in half and walked to the edge of the platform, waving their arms to us.

—We have finished here!

—Did you watch us, Shirou-san?

—Yes, yes, I got a valuable lesson —I said. Pho grabbed me by the shoulder and pointed towards something that had slithered from the sliced head of the statue.

—Watch out! —I tried to say, but halfway through, something resembling claws were already closing over the twins.

The amethysts reacted and tried to stop them, but the claws were too strong, and they had some spikes made of red crystals that were chipping away pieces of the twins, while the strength used to capture them was making cracks appear all over their body.

—W-we must... call Sensei —Pho said, paralyzed with fear—, But... he will... not make it in time.

—Shirou-san, take Phos away! —Thirty three yelled—, we'll keep it busy until reinforcements arrive!

She was trying to sound calm and confident, but I could see the truth it in her and her sister's faces. "Help us" they said. I clenched my fist and walked towards them. There was no way I could just leave them and run after that.

But how could I even help them, I was so heavy I could barely jump to knee high, and I didn't had any weapon. If only I had a bow like the Lunarians. An image flashed in my head, a man dressed in red and black, carrying a bow. His face was all blurred, but his weapon was clear as everything in front of me. If my body could change its shape, I could replicate that bow.

—Trace... on... —I could feel the steel in my body moving towards my arms, electricity moving through my nerves and fire flowing throwing my veins. The bow started to shape itself on my hand, but I still needed an arrow. The ones that the Lunarians had used had a weird shape, I needed something simpler, but I couldn't remember what a simple arrow looked like. It needed to be something pointy, so I took as base the swords that the Amethyst twins had been using, just shaped it more aerodynamically.

The Lunarians started to get away as it seemed reinforcements were arriving, but before they fled taking the twins away, I shoot my improvised arrow through the neck of the statue. The whole platform became dust, throwing the shattered Amethysts to the sea, alongside a Bort that had arrived just then and jumped before the cloud puffed away.

My head feel too light, and I fall back to the ground, then everything turned black.


	5. Eyes

By the time I woke up, the sun was already setting on the horizon. We were still at the place where we had fought the Lunarians, but now almost all of the Lustrous were around, going in and out of the ocean. 

—The Amethysts?! —Was my first though, jumping from the ground where I had been lying.

—They were shattered in pieces, but thanks to you the Lunarians couldn't take any piece of them away. They will be fine once we find out all of the pieces that fell into the sea and Rutile puts them together —Adamant said, he was sitting next to me while hugging Phos. He told me that she had been crying until she fell asleep.

—Here, I think this is yours —Bort said, handing me... a hand.

As I looked down I found I was missing exactly that, yet I didn't feel any pain.

—I found it while looking for the pieces of the Amethysts. I think it was that arrow that you shoot.

—So that is how that works —I murmured. As it turned out, I could use some mass of my body without losing size, but it will refill itself if I didn't returned the missing mass, making me loss hands or maybe the whole arm. Just for curiosity, I tried to move the fingers of the hand while Bort was still holding it, and to our surprise it reacted. Bort was surprised and a bit disgusted, so she threw my hand to the ground. Adamant tried to catch it before it landed, but it was out of reach.

—Oh, It didn't shatter —he said when it hit the ground and just did a "thud" sound. He looked confused for a moment, but after looking at me he seemed to regain his composure.

—I must admit it is a weird feeling —he said once Bort had run away—, I can't be broken nor lose pieces of myself, while the rest of the gems are so fragile. You are on the middle, you can't be broken, but you can lose pieces of yourself. It is something to what I have to get accustomed.

—Please don't, I'm not planning on losing them. If anything, I have to train them to crawl their way to me.

—That would be scary... —Pho said, still sleeping, and Sensei covered his mouth while looking away. Could it be that this man had a strange sense of humor?

About half an hour later, when it was already dark, we had finished gathering all the shards of the Amethysts twins, and started to walk back to our home. It had been a very busy and eventful day, considering it had been my first day since I had awoken, but weirdly enough I seemed to be the one who was less sleepy of the bunch.

—They need energy from the sun, so they get sleepy on the night and on winter —Adamant said as he was carrying at Diamond, Phos, and Yellow Diamond, while holding the hand of Bort, while the rest of the Lustrous where holding their hands in a chain. I was carrying the bags containing the pieces of the Amethyst.

We finally got home where Rutile had been taking a preventive nap to prepare for the all nighter it would take her to fix the twins. She was pissed that they had put pieces of Eighty Four in the bag of Thirty three and viceversa, and I just was impressed she could differentiate them between each other.

—That's right, Sensei told me that your hand broke off, let me fix that before I get too focused on the twins —Rutile said after everyone else had went to sleep.

—It's alright, I just put it in its place and it stuck itself to my wrist.

Rutile raised an eyebrow. She asked me to show it to her, but she couldn't find anything wrong.

—This is unprecedented, we normally need to apply a resin to kept it together and let the pieces merge during some time. I guess considering your "flexibility" it is not much of a surprise. More than a metal, you seem to be like clay.

I smiled, that seemed to be a fair comparison. I helped Rutile fix the twins for a while, learning that it apparently doesn't matter if the pieces were originally not from the same part of their body, as long as they were of the relatively same size, they will adapt and take the desired form.

—Even if some pieces of us are taken away by the Lunarians, we can be fixed by using the same or similar materials. However, we keep our memories on our bodies, so some will be lost alongside our missing shards. There are cases where even the personality changes a bit when we use pieces that belonged to other gems, like when Phos--

—Hey, it isn't fair to speak of someone behind their back, you quack doctor.

Phos was arriving just at that moment, saying that she had finished preparing my room.

—Go ahead, you need to rest —Rutile said—, just wake up early so you can say good morning to these two.

I nodded and followed Phos. She seemed restless.

—Thank you for saving those two. Not even with these eyes I could do anything to help them...

—Your eyes?

—Yes, it's what Rutile was saying, though it would be more likely to say they were lend to me from a very intellectual sempai of us. I thought they had made me more intelligent, but at the end I keep making the same rookie mistakes.

—Well, I am pretty rookie myself, so let's team up. Let's train and become stronger, you with the intelligence and I with the strength, so that the Lunarians won't take away any of us anymore.

She looked back at me, her blue eyes and greenish hair glistening under the light from the moon, her expression was one of surprise. I held my hand towards her, and after a moment, she smiled and held my hand with both of hers.

—Let's do it! —she said very enthusiastically, just to be surprised by the crack that went all the way from her hands to her head.


	6. Progress

My first night using my room was a rough one; I keep tossing around and only sleeping for brief periods of times. I ultimately find out I was more comfortable by putting the blankets on the ground, but by that time the sun was already raising and I choose to get up. I was still not very fond of the clothes that Red Beryl had given me, even more now that Rutile had asked me to return her the cloth I had been using to cover my legs. I thought about asking Red Beryl to make me something more like the clothes of that figure I had seen in my mind, the bowman dressed in red and black. If I had read her personality correctly, she will accept enthusiastically to the idea of a new project.

Before that, however, I went to the infirmary to see the progress of the twins' fixing.

—It is done —Rutile said with a tired voice, she was lying on the frame of one of the windows, trying to cover her eyes with her forearm.

—Good job, Rutile-sama —I said as I inspected the Amethyst. They had been fixed properly, but I couldn't help to notice they weren't breathing. For a moment I panicked, but then I remembered they were Lustrous, they didn't needed to breathe. I paused, and locked at myself, questioning if I was breathing.

—Ahhhhhhhhh! —I heard a faint scream approaching, with the correspondent footsteps, until Phos finally appeared from behind one of the huge pillars, almost slipping away. Her clothes were all disheveled, as she probably had put them on a hurry.

—Are they alright?! —she said trying not to yell. A shoe hit her right in the forehead, producing a crack.

—Yes, they are alright, they are only sleeping, now shut up so I can sleep! —Rutile angrily said, her hand still on the position she had after throwing her shoe.

With all that, the three of us didn't notice that the twins had opened their eyes.

—Phos... —Eighty Four said.

—Shirou-san... —Thirty three added.

—We are sorry! —Both of them said.

—We were trying to impress you and got careless...

—They could have captured all four of us for that mistake...

—No — Phos replied—, if I hadn't taken Shirou to explore, we hadn't been distracting you and--

—Will you shut up already! —Rutile yelled—, You all made mistakes, learn from them, and let this cute and tired doctor sleep!

With that as our cue, we abandoned the infirmary. The Amethyst went to their room to get their clothes while I followed Phos.

—Rutile was right, we need to work hard to not make the same mistakes of yesterday —She said, raising her fist.

I mentioned it was hard to take her seriously with her face cracked as it was. She looked at her reflection on a nearby pond, frowning and making faces at it, and then throwing a glare at me.

—Wait here —she told me and went back to the infirmary trying to be as quick as possible, but I heard the noise of several plates falling over, followed by a very angry yell from Rutile, and then Phos appeared running away from there while carrying a small container. As she passed next to me, she pulled me from the hand and I had to follow her. We ended up hiding behind a corner. 

The container that she had borrowed, was filled with some kind of powder that painted their skin almost white, and she asked me to apply it to where the cracks had appeared. After that, she convinced me to put some in my arms, legs, and face. The sensation was weird, but somehow, it made me feel like I was actually seeing my own limbs instead of some kind of prosthetic.

After that, we went to the daily morning assembly, in which Jade and Euclase told the patrolling gems where they would be going that day, all under the watchful eye of Adamant. After they had finished, they introduced me formally to the group, though I had seen most of them the day before.

—Shirou, do you think you could join the patrolling today? —Jade told me after dissmising everyone else—, The Amethysts told me about your skills and I think it would be a great tool against the Lunarians.

—Of course, just tell me where I need to go. Ah, but I need to say something to Red Beryl before I go, I hope that's not a problem.

—Not at all, we just have to partner you with someone.

—I will--! —Phos said, trying to raise her hand to volunteer, but managing to stop herself—, I will... stay with Sensei!

—Then, want to go with us? —the gem known as Morganite said, being followed by her partner Goshenite.

There wasn't any objection except for Phos pouting face, so we decided to team up. In our way, Morganite insisted on seeing that thing the twins had told her I could do. A bit tired of hearing it being called "that thing you do" I decided to name it as tracing. It just sound right in my mind. I showed them the trick of turning my finger into a spike, and they seemed impressed with just that.

We went around the island and they told me everything they knew about it, about the other gems, and about the Lunarians. They mentioned that aside from me, there were 28 gems, but I had only seen 23, including Adamant.

That day ended up without any attack from the Lunarians, and so did the following days. As I keep becoming more adjusted to my own body I took the opportunity to train my tracing, as well as my archery, as it would be pointless if I couldn't use it once the enemy showed up. Creating the bow and the arrow eventually became almost effortless, and I managed to shoot three arrows without fainting, but I did end up feeling very light headed. Morga and Goshe had to look for my missing pieces while I sat down.

We figured that after three arrows missing, I had lost enough mass to lose almost the equivalent of my arm. I also learned to rebuild my arm using mass from the rest of my body, but I only managed to rebuild it until the elbow, and only as long as I "hold it there".

Morga suggested that I also practiced my fencing, and we dueled whenever we weren't busy, me either using Goshe's sword or trying to mimic one of their swords with my own mass. However, I came to learn that creating a sword and keeping it stable was more difficult than creating an arrow and just shooting it.

So, with Adamant approval, we asked Obsidian to make me a sword.

—Well, do you want one of our standard ones or do you have any request? You don't break easily so you could use a heavy one —Morga said, speaking like the seller while Obsidian smiled nervously, too timid to speak.

Despite Morga's advice, I choose two short but sturdy ones. By that time, Red Beryl had finished the clothes that I had asked her, or at least, the first part.

—We don't have much red ink, so I could only make the black shirt and pants, I'll finish it as soon as I have enough to dye the cloth. I have to admit it, I was against covering your legs, but with the belts it has its own style. I might try to incorporate something like that to this year's hibernation dresses.

I thanked her and went on my first patrol with my new outfit and weapons, trying to ignore whatever "hibernation dresses" were. A Lunarian did appear that day, but it was on the other side of the island, and Bort swiftly took care of them.

Another week passed without any attacks, there was even a day where it rained from dusk to dawn, and all gems stayed on the school, sleeping, playing cards, or just being lazy. I got bored and walked all over the school, as they called the building we all lived in, chatting a bit with everyone I came across, until I met with Sphene, who was repairing some chairs. After helping her out that time, I started to go there whenever I had free time, both to help her and to do some personal projects.

I made some whistles out of wood, giving one to each "team leader" so that they could call for help without having to come back all the way to the school. I also made some wooden wind chimes, and hanged them all around the place. My room ended up being full of wooden trinkets and tools I had developed myself. Among these, there were things I had make that I couldn't find what their purpose was, like "spoons" and "pans", but for some reason it calmed me to have some around. Adamant looked very intrigued when he saw them hanging from my wall, but didn't say anything about it.

Then, about a month after I had started living there, when I had finally started to think of that place as my home, the Lunarians dropped a giant shell in front of the school, right in front of Phos.


	7. Metamorphosis

—Everyone knows where to go, so let's dismiss today's assembly —Jade said, until he noticed me raising my hand—, yes, Phos, do you want to add something?

—I would like to request an escort mission.

—An escort mission? Didn't you say you would be working diligently and not goofing around in the fields again?

—I'm not going to goof around! It is for research, RESEARCH!

—What is going on now? —Shirou spoke as he approached, being followed by Morga and Goshe. They seemed to become really good buddies since they had started patrolling together. Bort had actually requested that Shirou should be transferred to his team, or any other team, but Jade insisted that they were already strong enough with him and Dia, and the only other gem without a partner was me.

—Phos want to go out and avoid doing his work again.

—I already told you, it is for research! Part of my job as Sensei's assistant is to elaborate an encyclopedia of all of our knowledge, and to do so, I need to do research.

—Well, did you finish with the data we have on the library already?

I cringed.

—Well, I can't say I have finished it, but...

—And what happened to that interview you were doing to the gems about their daily lives, is it finished? —Euc said, with a smile that pierced me strongly that Jade's mean look.

—It's... halfway done, I just need to...

—What about Alex's Lunarian's profile, did you at least check it out?

—I GOT IT! I GOT IT ALREADY! —I screamed raising my arms—, I just need some fresh air, I can have my nose on the books all the time!

Jade sighed, with a barely noticeable smile on his face.

—Fine, I'll allow it, but go along with Shirou and his team. We haven't had Lunarian activity on a while, so they might appear soon. Goshe, if anything happens, leave the fight to Shirou and Morga, and bring Phos back home, got it?

—Understood.

I thanked Jade and went on my way, making a small remark to Morga about how it was now "Shirou's team". As they were patrolling, I didn't laze around as Jade was expecting, I was really intended on doing some research outside, but my mind was in other matters, and Shirou noticed.

—Is there a problem? You seem to be daydreaming.

—No, it's nothing, I'm just... —I sighed—, well to be honest, I haven't been able to do my job properly since a few months ago, and it is not because of mental exhaustion. Not entirely, at least.

—Then, what is it about?

—Well, there is this Lustrous who—

—Phos! Shirou-san! —the voice of Dia interrupted me, as he came down from a small hill near us. Bort appeared from the other side of the hill, chasing after Dia and chastising him for going ahead without him. He then turned to Shirou now that he was in the mood and started chastising him as well.

—You both are of the same kind, using weird techniques that are dangerous to yourself, it is just far too reckless.

He went on and on about it, so much that by the time we noticed Dia wasn't around us anymore, he had already gone out of our sight.

—GAH! This is all you fault for distracting me! —Bort claimed—, help me search for him, it is too dangerous to leave him alone!

Bort went on his way and we divided into two groups, Morge and Goshe to the south, and me and Shirou to the north. We were the ones that found him, facing a Lunarian on his own. Shirou was already preparing his arrow, but I stopped him. Dia was moving so gracefully I was just entranced, he was turning the arrows of the Lunarians back to them with a swing of his sword and a twirl of his body; it seemed more like he was dancing than anything. There was a very peculiar sound, however, a reverb not entirely unlike that of when the amethyst twins crashed their heads together. Then, unexpectedly, most of his arm went flying without being even touched by an arrow, and it hit me right it the chest. I only avoided being cracked by the impact because Shirou had managed to catch the sword that it still hold, absorbing almost all the force it had.

We then returned out eyes to Dia, who was looking back with a face that said "I messed up" almost jokingly, as a dozen of arrows came down towards him. Shirou had gotten distracted by saving me, so it took him a couple of seconds to get his bow and arrow ready, but by that time Bort had reached us, running at full speed and breaking all the arrows before they could hit Dia. Dia's face wasn't one of relief. Bort then jumped and finished the Lunarians in the blink of an eye. He was pissed at Dia for going on his own again, so much that he didn't even seem to have noticed us.

—I want to be able to do something on my own... —was all that Dia could muster as a defense.

—There is nothing you can do! Just accept it already and stay where I can protect you!

Their discussion was interrupted when another sun spot appeared right in front of use. This one ignored us completely, and advanced towards the school.

—What are they planning now? —I said, just as both diamonds passed next to me running.

—Whatever it is, it isn't good, we need to alert the others.

Shirou blew into one of the whistles he had been giving to everyone a few weeks before, and we heard a couple of replies. The rest must have been too far to hear it. In any case, through the sounds, Shirou communicated that there was a problem at the school, and we should go back. He insisted on carrying me on his arms to get there faster, while making his arms not entirely solid to avoid breaking me. It was a very peculiar sensation.

The Lunarians had positioned themselves right in front of the school, where the window to the room in which Sensei should be slee- meditating at the moment, so we make haste. We got there just moments after Dia and Bort, who were jumping from pillar to pillar to gain altitude while continuing their earlier banter. Shirou left me at the entrance of the school, almost below of where the Lunarians were, and asked me to go to safety as he took out his swords and tried to imitate the diamonds. He was soon forced to return, as a giant object started to fall down in his direction. He barely managed to get back to the ground and jump out of its way, almost falling to the nearby pond. The Lunarians disappeared just a moment after that, as Bort had cut the head of the main one.

Everyone who had replied to the whistle started appeared, only to be informed that the situation had already been dealt with. Or at least, that's would have been the case if one choose to ignore the giant shell in front of me.

—Well, it seems like your outside exploration did bear fruits —Euc said smiling as he approached me, alongside of Jade.

—I wasn't the one who brought this thing here; it was the Lunarian's doing... but it hasn't disappeared even after they were defeated.

—That should imply it isn't from the moon, isn't it?

—But I bet it would make a great addition to the encyclopedia~!

I frowned— There is no way this is not a trap from them! We should call Sensei!

—No, let's not —Jade said, holding his right arm with the left one—¸he is meditating right now, disturbing him could be...

—In any case, you have Shirou right here, and most of us who were patrolling came back, there shouldn't be any problem.

—Even if you say that...

—We leave it to you, Scholar Phos —they said as they leave the scene, trying to win me with fake adulation. I can't say it didn't work entirely.

—So, what should we do with it? —Shirou asked.

—The first thing would be to move it from here, but it looks very heavy, and that is just accounting for the shell. I wonder if there is something inside...

I tried to peak to see if there was anything, but all I could see was darkness. At that time, Dia got closer to us, asking me for his arm, which I had been holding all this time. I tried to give it back, but Shirou pulled me towards him, as something had come out of the shell.

A pinkish slug-like creature got its head out of the shell and... did nothing. It stood there for a moment, frozen like everyone else, and then started moving almost like if it was looking for grass to eat.

—So there was something inside! —I said, somewhat offended by it.

—But it looks inoffensive.

—It looks cute~! —Dia claimed, trying to touch it. Bort stopped him.

—You don't know where it has been!

—Why would the Lunarians bring something like this here? —I pondered.

The creature looked around, and in a blink of an eye and without any provocation, it threw one of its tentacles against Shirou, hitting him with enough force to throw him into the pond. I just realized it when I heard the splash, but I quickly figured it that the creature had attacked him deliberately. Even the heavier of us were able to jump from the bottom of the pool to the surface, but Shirou was way too heavier to do such. He was, by all means, out of commission.

—Dia, Bort, this creature is our enemy! —I yelled and run to the pond, hopping that he had managed to hold to the edge of it, but he had sunken almost in the middle of it. He was trying to swim with all his might, so I was about to jump to help him, when the creature ate me. I was so surprised, I couldn't even let go of Dia's arm.

Inside of it, it was hot, too hot. I was melting, asking anyone to save me, but I realized it was impossible. If it dispatched Shirou so quickly and with such dishonest methods it was because it didn't wanted to fight him, and there had to be a reason for that. It might have been his strength or his unusual fighting style, but being dissolved by it made me think its exterior had also the same properties. Our bodies and weapons were made of things it could probably melt, with Shirou as a probably exception, so we couldn't damage it at all. Those were the thoughts that occupied my mind as I melted away, however, when it became apparent they wouldn't be able to do something I couldn't think of and save me at the last moment, another thought crossed my mind. That person, the one who I wanted to help.

Then I opened my eyes, finding myself in the infirmary, surrounded by everyone, and a tiny creature it took me a moment to realize was the same that ate me, only several times smaller.

I jumped right at it, wanting to strangle it, but it slipped right through my fingers with its sliminess.

—YOU, COME BACK HERE!

—Hold it, I just put you together! —Rutile said, but I was too blind with rage.

The creature ran and jumped all over the floor avoiding me until he jumped again in the plate that Dia was holding.

—Now, do it —Dia said, bowing his head— "I'm sorry"

—I'm sorry —the creature said, mimicking Dia.

Everyone else was complementing how smart and cute it was, but I wasn't going to be win over with just that after what it made me go through. I jumped at it again, but it avoided me again, hiding behind Dia.

—I told you already that I'm sorry, so it is okay, isn't it?

—Huh? Of course it isn't okay!

—But I was really hungry...

—That doesn't mean you can eat whatever is in front of you!

—And you looked so delicious, can't you understand it?

—No! That isn't an excuse!

—You know, not many can say they had been eaten by me, it is a privilege. You should feel happy about it.

—That doesn't make me happy!

—Come one, that is water under the bridge~

—I said-

—Phos? —Dia interrupted me—, who are you talking to?

As I looked around, the faces of my brothers were a clear indication they couldn't understand the impertinent mollusk in front of me.


	8. Ruler

I opened my eyes, finding myself in my room. I didn't remembered going to sleep, but when I tried to recall the last thing I had seen, the image of the giant snail appeared on my mind. I got up in one jump and tried to look for my swords and clothes, making a ruckus that brought the attention of a Lustrous that was passing by.

—Oh, you finally are up —she said, she was the so called expert on Lunarians, Alexandrite.

—Alex, was it? What happened to the snail?!

—It is Alexi! And Bort dealt with it, he kicked it into the pool and it shrunken. It ate Phos, and Dia's arm, but we managed to recover them from its shell. We got you from the bottom of the pond way before we went for the shell, but you didn't awake until now —she also mentioned that the snail had become really small after falling into the water of the Pond, and that Dia had initially believed that Phos had transformed into it. 

—...That's a lot to take from after awakening.

I thanked her for putting me up to date, and I finished preparing with a bit more calm. I found Goshe and Morga in the hallway, and they told me to take the day to rest. I asked them if they had seen Phos, since I was worried about her, and they told me she was near the pond. I went there, and as I got closer, I heard an unfamiliar voice.

—I am Ventricosus, Ruler of the Admirabilis, show some respe-

It was all of what the tiny snail that Alexi had mentioned managed to say before Phos threw it into the pond. The jellyfish immediately started going towards it, almost as if they had a feud against it.

—Shirou, good morning —Phos said with a smile but looking very tired.

—Good morning, I heard you had a hectic day.

—Yeah, that slug ate me and used me to repair his shell, can you believe it?!

The creature managed to return to the edge of the pond and climbed it, huffing and puffing.

—Dang, I was hoping you would get smaller.

—Hehe, I only shrunken back to my original form because this water is very similar to the one found in my home —the snail said—. My race was captured by the Lunarians because of our beautiful shells. On the moon, we were feed sugar water and moon dust until we became gigantic and idiots. My comrades are still captured there. Isn't it sad?

—I guess I can empathize with you, if that is the case. But why I'm the only one who can-

Several gems on patrol duty passed by, saying words of concern towards Phos. Those seemed to irritate her even more.

—Why am I the only one who can understand you?! —Phos screamed very frustrated.

—What do you mean? —I interrupted her—, I can understand it fine enough.

—Eh? —Both Phos and the snail said—, EHHHHHHH?!

Phos curled in the ground.

—I was just thinking that the only explanation for why I was the only who could understand him was because he ate me, but if you can understand him that means that being eaten was totally unnecessary...

—Phos, are you okay? —Diamond said as she passed next to us.

—No, I am not.

—I'll talk to you when I come back, so cheer up! —she said and returned to her sprint.

The snail was whistling to her and calling her a beauty. Dia actually slowed down for a moment and looked back, but Bort got to where she was and pulled her forward. Ventricosus declared how great was this country, full of cute girls.

—You are also cute on your own way, Iron boy —the snail said, getting too close too me—, but despite what one would think, I like girls who are prim and proper, like the one with the long black hair. The one with the red hair walking in the nights was my type too.

—Eh? You saw Cinnabar? —Phos said, suddenly jumped out of her depressed stance.

The snail explained to her that she was the one who noticed Phos had been absorbed into her shell, as Dia had though she turned into her initially. Phos didn't look to happy for this.

—Ah, I see, you didn't want to see her look at you being uncool, right? 

—It's not that — Phos murmured—, not even Sensei really needs me, but Cinnabar told me her secret, she is the only one who has relied on me, and I really wanted to help her... But I'm not letting that drag me down, I'll keep doing my best!

—Me too! Me too!

—No, you go bother someone else.

Rutile appeared out of the corner and held Phos from one arm, saying that she wanted to take her apart and rebuilt her to solve any problem that she might be having.

—Wait, wait, I'm not crazy, Shirou can understand it too.

—Really?

I nodded, and Rutile was satisfied with that. For a moment, Phos looked angry at me, seeing how Rutile had more faith in me than in her.

A few moments later, Adamant came to us, and the snail almost immediately jumped to him, claiming that he was a "hunk" and slightly distress at not being able to give him a bite. Phos, after forcibly removing the snail of her sensei's head, introduced it with its formal title.

—I see, Ruler of Shells. While we might be different from one another, shells are but another shape of gem, so we welcome. Phos, as part of your job as my assistant, please accommodate to the Ruler while she is in our island. 

Phos agreed unenthusiastically, and Adamant seemed to be going back, but she stopped him.

—Sensei, about Cinnabar...

I felt like I was eavesdropping into something personal, so I got a bit further away. I could still hear them, as the hallways were practically empty. For what I heard, Cinnabar was a Lustrous who exuded poison from her skin, Mercury to be precise. She had chosen to exile herself to the "night patrol" to keep herself busy, despite not being any registered attack from Lunarians at night. Phos had met her just a short time before they found me, being saved by her after going out at dusk to do some research. Adamant explained that he had not being able to come up with a solution for her isolation, and asked Phos for more time to think of one.

This answer only made Phos more depressed, and she dragged me and Ventri to some fields with tall grass, where she promptly lied on the ground.

—If Sensei can't think of a solution after all this time, what hopes do I have to find one?

—You could try to expand your horizons and seek new frontiers —the snail said, as she was feasting on grass—, let's goes to the ocean!

Phos raised an eyebrow.

—What could I even find there? there is only sand and slugs.

—Don't underestimate my kingdom! There are lots of secrets hidden on the depths! There was even some people like you living under the sea.

Phos though it for a moment.

—I can't leave my job just like that, but I'll ask Sensei to form an expedition. If we ask Yellow and Zircon our forces wouldn't diminish too much, you could join them too, Shirou.

For some reason, the snail seemed uncomfortable with that answer.

—I can't. I will drown again —I replied.

—Drown? What is that? —the Admirabilis asked.

—Ah! I know, it is when an animal who can't breathe underwater remains under it too much time, and it dies.

—Yeah, that happened to me when you threw me into the pond, it wasn't an experience I want to relive.

—But you aren't an animal, you don't need to breathe.

—I know that... I just... feel like I need to do it.

—So going underwater is a no for you?

—I can work something out, but I need a few days.

—That sounds reasonable, I'll tell Sensei once we got the preparations done. He might not like any of us to go beyond the beach, but if it is to help Cinnabar, and you can go along the group, there shouldn't be any problem.

As the sun was setting, we went back. On our way, we met with Dia again, and she and Phos went to have a talk while I went to visit Sphene's workshop. Phos would later tell me that she and Dia talked until very late, and the diamond had asked to take Ventri to sleep with her. The next morning, we were all awoken by a panicked Bort, who couldn't find her partner anywhere.


	9. Sea

That day started as usual, everyone wake up and prepared to do their routines. I too had awaken on time, but like every morning, I needed a couple of moments of contemplating the void to finally ready myself to the day. After years, I had learned to get up and dress myself even on that state, and I only got back on the bed after getting ready a couple of times per month.

—Raise and shine, your sliminess —I muttered, but the plate that served as Rulers' home was nowhere to be found—, oh, that right...

Before I could formulate another though, I heard a commotion. Bort was running all over the place asking if anyone had seen Dia. I would have told her, but he just passed my room without asking. A few minutes later, he used her whistle to signal an emergency meeting, in which he declared that Dia had gone missing.

—What do you mean he is missing, he is probably just wandering around like usual —Jade spoke.

—I looked all around, he is nowhere to be found! Who was the last person who saw him yesterday?!

I raised my arm— We talked until very late yesterday, but he said he was going to sleep right after that.

Bort looked at me fiercely, as if trying to find any reason to blame me for his disappearance. Then Euc, Rutile and Red Beryl appeared.

—Excuse us for being late, I was going to apply water resistant resin to Euc, but we couldn't find it anywhere.

—And my latest project also disappeared!

—Speaking of things that had disappeared —I chimed in—, Dia wanted to sleep with Ruler so he is also missing.

Then I finally wake up and had a realization, all the missing things were connected.

—They went to the ocean!

It was the only thing that made sense, Ruler had just tried to convince me to follow her to her kingdom, which I find a bit suspicious but didn't recognize it as a threat. However, since she failed to fool me, she had surely tried to convince the next most gullible gem, Dia. I still couldn't get how Ruler had convinced him, since Dia couldn't understand her words, but that was beside the point right now.

I tried to convey my train of thoughts the best I could, and with Sensei's approval we went to look around the beaches of the island. We eventually found one in which the jar with the rest of the water resistant resin was, left behind along Dia's shoes.

—Everyone, gather in groups of two and apply the resin to each other—Jade instructed—, then we will go underwater and search in different directions, but keep going on a straight line. Rutile was awake until four hours ago, before the resin disappeared, so they couldn't have gone too far away.

It was decided that I would stay along with Sensei at the beach, while everyone else would work on the search effort. Even Ghost Quartz, our mysterious librarian and chief of the long recovery facilities joined, forming a team with Bort.

Shirou was the only one who didn't join the search immediately, saying that he needed to finish something before, and around half an hour later, he came back with a strange mechanism. It was a long flexible tube attached to a balloon at one side, and some sort of mask at the other.

—This will allow me to breathe underwater.

Sensei was visible confused, but didn't say anything.

—I... will go with him, everyone else is going in pairs but him, and even if I can't fight, he can use an extra pair of eyes like mine.

—...I'll allow it —Sensei said in a somber tone, putting her head over my head—, just come back home safely. The same goes for you, Shirou.

We both nodded and entered the water after applying the resin. The rest were too far to see what direction they had taken, but I pointed towards a trail of sea plants that seemed to have been eaten. Shirou asked me to get on his back with hand signals, since the mask covered his mouth, and after I did, he "leaped" with great strength, paddling with his hands and feet. He could barely raise himself from the bottom, as he was carrying both of our weight combined, but he propelled himself forward every time he was about to touch the ground. With this technique, we were able to cover a lot of distance in short time, until we eventually saw a glitter in the distance.

There, we find Dia, and a creature that I will come to find was Ruler's final true form, full of tentacles and bags of water, but relatively similar to us and with a beautiful face. They were surrounded by tall stone towers full of holes.

—Ah, you found us.

Shirou readied his blades, which admittedly scared me a bit, but I tried to put my "serious business" face. Dia immediately put herself between us and Ventricosus, and tried to say that he had come to that place on her own will, as I expected her to do.

—What did you say to her to convince her to come? Moreover, how can he understand you?

—You say it as I had manipulated her into coming, he noticed I was homesick before even I realized it, and offered to accompany me. As for your second quest, I have no idea. 

I crossed my arms.

—If that was to be truth, why so secretive.

—Sensei wouldn't have allowed it, the sea is beyond our limits.

—T-that might be so, but... we already were talking about going in a few days, why were you so rushed?

Ventricosus looked away.

—We live longer in captivity than in our homeland, but by being feed with sugar water and moon dust we become feral and stupid, I was the only able to keep some semblance of reasoning. For me, it felt like a couple of months passed, my memories are clouded by moments were I couldn't pay attention to my surroundings, so I didn't noticed at first. If the stars don't lie to me, it has been around twenty years since my family and I were captured by the Lunarians. I wondered how my subjects were doing after so long, having to defend by themselves without a king to guide them. Where they all captured? Were they killed? My mind couldn't put those thoughts aside.

—Well... I can understand that sort of thing... but... —I looked around—, your homeland is in ruins and nobody lives here anymore, are you satisfied?

—This is not my homeland, we were merely passing by this ruins — she said— , this is a city where humans once lived.

—Humans?

Dia nodded and told us it was what they had been talking about. Humans were a tribe of people who lived in this planet before all of us, those who had inherited their flesh to the Admirabilis, their bones to us, and their souls to the Lunarians...

He was telling all of this very happily, but his expression changed when he looked at Shirou, and he hurried to his side. I looked at him too and saw him holding his head with his hands.

—Phosphophyllite... —the Ruler spoke—, just as much as you care for Cinnabar, there is someone I need to save...

I turned around to where she was, confused by her words, but instead of her silhouette, I saw countless arrows approaching me from above. Then everything went dark, and I expected to have been shattered in so many few pieces that I had fainted instantly, but the fact that I could reason such thing make me realize I hadn't yet been broken. I opened my eyes slowly, finding Shirou holding me and Dia very closely to him, as a shield made of his own matter extended in the shape of flower's petals.

—RHO AIAS!


	10. Castaway

The arrows of the Lunarians were completely ineffective against Shirou's shield, breaking and bouncing away after impacting it. However, they only stopped shooting for brief periods of time, and we were too deep for him to try to shoot an arrow anyway. He must also come to realize this.

—We need to climb one of those buildings! —he said, and only then I noticed he has taken off his weird mask, but he seemed to be "holding his breath" still.

He gave Dia one of his swords and tried to give me the other, just to change his mind and give it to Dia too. I feel a bit offended, but I could understand his reasoning. I climbed to his back as I had done before, and just as the Lunarians stopped shooting, he undid his shield and "swam" to a nearby building, grabbing it and pushing himself to another, gaining altitude. Dia did the same, a bit more efficiently, and protected us both when arrows started raining over us. We took coverage inside one of the buildings by entering through one of the holes in its walls, climbed a couple of stairs, and got to what would have been the rooftop.

Dia kept protecting us while Shirou prepared his arrow, but he saw something that made him doubt for an instant. There were two figures alongside the Lunarians that looked more like us than them. One had a rough and unpolished appearance, made of some kind of black crystals with red glowing veins covering him. He had a sword made of his exact same material. The other one was more beauty, like us after Sensei had fixed us and applied powder to us. But there was something different about him, he looked... even more like Sensei than us.

Shirou eyes widened as he noticed the first one was raising his sword, and tried to conjure his shield and cover us again. I didn't understand what he feared, until I saw something approaching us, black as the crystals of the one with the sword, but somewhat ethereal. It cut clean through Shirou's shield and his right arm, and it exploded when it touched the ground behind him, sending us all flying in pieces.

The next thing I knew, I was being dragged to the surface by the Lunarians, and my legs were gone. Dia was next to me, cracked, but still in one piece. Shirou was missing his arm and had several bits blown out of him. He had tried to protect me to the very last moment, taking most of the explosion himself, but I was just too weak, and the movement of the water around me alone had been enough to break my legs. I wondered if they were on the bottom of the ocean or if the Lunarians had retrieved them already, but there were more important matters at the moment.

—I brought you Lustrous as you asked, even the dangerous one made of steel, now release my brother! —Ruler said.

The Lunarians didn't speak, at least not in a language I could understand. I thought I heard some quiet whistling, but I couldn't be sure.

—What? You want more? Even Phosphophyllite should be enough payment for my brother, I brought you Diamond and Shirou, what more do you want?

The Lunarians turned her spears covered in flames towards her, making her retreat.

—Fine, I'll try to bring another one, maybe if I go for the outcast Cinnabar...

My eyes widened as I tried to undo the restrains they had put around me. The ruler noticed me.

—No, they will surely suspect of me already, this is all I can do.

The Lunarians attacked her again, burning her arm off.

—RULER!!!

Then the whole sun spot trembled, and a figure started to eclipse the sun that was setting at my left, coming out of a gigantic shell that I hadn't noticed until then.

—DO. I. SMELL. FOOD? —The giant mess of tentacles said in a ridiculously infantile voice.

—So... So cute —Dia, who has regained conscience after all the commotion, and I said.

—Aculeatus... —Ruler said with a weak voice.

The Lunarians started attacking the feral Admirabilis to make him retreat to his shell, but instead he started thrashing and kicking around. I heard a weird noise and saw the black figure from before, raising his sword. Black fog started to gather around it, and I realized it was going to launch another attack like the one that had severed Shirou's arm before.

Before he could, a small projectile was shot from behind me, aiming right between his eyes. It missed because he moved away, but it chipped away something like a mask that he kept over her eyes. This allowed me to see one of them, and it looked different from the rest of his body, the sclera was white and the iris was yellow.

This surprise attack made him loose focus, and he directed his anger towards who had attacked him, Shirou. He cut the ropes that tied us by making sharp spikes grow out of his body, and rose to his feet. Having only one arm, he had broken a bit of his finger and threw it to his enemy, planning to do the same with the rest of his hand.

But there was no need, the feral Admirabilis started attacking everyone with his tentacles, Shirou was barely able to grab Dia and me and jump away before one of them smashed the statue that was holding us. We were surrounded by Lunarians, but they seemed more distracted dealing with the tentacles and their platform losing stability. The dark figure tried to go after us, even to the point of cutting Lunarians that were on their way, but the other one stopped him. They walked beyond the remains of the giant statue and vanished somehow. 

The giant snail fell to the ocean, and Shirou jumped towards other direction. As we were falling, I managed to see another storm of tentacles, thinner this time, raising from the ocean. Shirou managed to shield us from most of the impact, but some damage was inevitable, and we sunk as we drifted out of conscience.

I heard voices, but half of my head was missing, so I was too drowsy and could barely understood anything of what they said, at least at first.

—So you used them to save me? We are lucky that the Lunarians weren't able to take them away —A black figure with lots of tentacles spoke—. If we use them to negotiate, we could free our mother and father and the rest of our comrades. These three are very valuable for them, right? Specially the pale green one, it is the kind of beautiful thing that they seek. You did well to come so far, all on your own, but now you don't have to fear them not fulfilling their part of the deal, as I would be at your side.

—That's not fair — I spoke, with whatever strength was left on my body—, how can I get angry at you after hearing all that.

Ruler looked at me with her eyes wide open.

—So you don't mind being used as a bargaining chip? —the other Admirabilis said—. You are all immortals, so you don't have much to worry about, but you might not be able to return ever.

—Just don't touch Cinnabar —I looked around, Dia was still all cracked, and Shirou was a mess of spikes—, nor my friends here, it has to be just me.

—Fine. I, Aculeatus of the Admirabilis, give you my word.

He started to approach me, but Ruler stopped him, and came to me instead.

—Is it really alright with you?

—It's fine. I'll let you off this time. I mean, I don't have the power to punish you, and unlike you, I can't come up with clever plans to save my friends. Just do it quickly before Shirou wakes up, or he will probably kill you —I looked at her eyes—What have I even been doing all this time? I'm three hundred years today, you know? I only managed to lose my eyes and now my legs. You are so awesome and I bet you are way younger than I am.

She touched my face. Her hand was very soft.

—So you can choose not to melt me, huh? That would be useful to know before.

She carried me on her arms, and I started to lose conscience again.

—Sister?

—We have to change, or else we will not be different from the Lunarians. Let's go home.

I blacked out, only awakened by the sound of metal grinding against itself. I saw tentacles getting away while a substance tinted red the water. Shirou was dragging us through the sand towards the shore, but every movement seemed to require such effort for him that we were barely able to advance even with the waves pushing us. Finally he took us to the surface, and I could feel his chest moving up and down. Was that breathing? I also saw the back of a familiar silhouette, peeking away from us from behind a stone.

—Cinnabar... —I spoke, and I saw her jump very surprised, turning her head around slowly—, could you... call Sensei? Dia and... Shirou are very hurt...

His eyes widened in horror at our sight, covering his mouth with her hands. He approached me instead of those two. It took me a moment to remember I had lost my legs. Instead, I was holding two huge spikes and the piece of my face that had come off.

His hands reached towards me, trembling, but backed at the last minute. He held them against his own chest for a moment, only to get up and start running away. Some time passed, I could only stay there listening to the waves. Then the other gems started appearing, followed by Sensei. I tried to explain, but I was too weak to even say that I was sorry.

He got closer and I expected to be yelled at, but he just put his hand over my head.

—I'm glad you came back, and you brought Dia back. You did a good job.

I tried to smile.

—Thank... you... I'm... —I blacked out again, but now I felt much more secure.


	11. Agate

Rutile keep going on and on since the moment I had opened my eyes, but frankly I couldn't pay too much attention to her words, and she noticed it.

—Are you listening, Phos?

—I'm listening, but I'm still in shock after losing my legs. This is the first mission I can call a success on my life and yet we lost too much, not only me but...

In the table next to me was Shirou, his whole body had erupted in spikes. They had been receding slowly since we had gotten back home, but he was still a mess, and hadn't waked up since then. Dia had lost around 15% of her mass, but since it was had been pieces from all around her body, she just had become a bit smaller. She was the first of us who had recovered, and was fine with her appearance, and even accepted when Sensei took her out of patrolling, but her face changed when she saw us. She had been in her room since, and hadn't spoken to anyone.

Rutile showed me some huge spike thingies, filled with some gemstone.

—This was with you when we found you, the outside is very weak, more than you, but the inside is Agate according to Sensei. If we pulverize and mix it up, it will be roughly the same hardness as you. We can make you new legs with it, since we aren't probably going to find enough Phosphophyllite in the next 500 years to even recreate your foot. But I'm not entirely comfortable with just sticking it on your legs. Do you even know where it came?

I tried to remember, I knew I had seen them before.

—They were spikes on the shell of an Admirabilis.

Rutile was convinced with that explication, telling me that it was still a risky operation. Everything depended of my own inclusions. When everything was done, I was very surprised by their look, but their functionality was lackluster.

—There are sticks, it feels like I'm walking on sticks! —I claimed after falling over the lack of movement and sensitivity of my new legs.

Rutile was ready to break them and start again, but the other Lustrous that had begun to get there helped me get on my feet, and convinced both to give an opportunity to these legs. I found out I had forgotten Jade's name, which Rutile said it was to be expected, as I had lost around 1/3 of my body. They helped me get outside to be exposed to the sun, and I sat there for a long time, trying to remember what else I had forgotten. Just as I was coming to understood the futility of such idea, I heard someone approaching me.

—Good morning —Shirou said with a gentle smile, sitting on the grass next to me.

—Good morning —I tried to smile, but couldn't.

He had stopped looked like a pin cushion, but he was still missing an arm and had several "scars" over his body. He was wearing a robe like mine, since all of his clothes had been pierced and slashed.

—How are you legs?

—I still can't move them.

—Do you want me to hold your hand to practice?

—Maybe later.

We watched the clouds pass for a couple of minutes, there will be rain soon.

—The one who found us at the beach was Cinnabar?

—Oh? You were awake then?

—Barely... You really care for her, don't you?

—Yeah, we met once when I was doing some research at dusk. I though the Lunarians wouldn't appear since it was already dark, but they did. She saved me... and told me that she was just waiting for the Lunarians to capture her. Sensei says she chose to live away from us because she exudes a silver poison that damages our bodies. I told her I would find her a —I paused, that memory was a bit hazy—... a better job, one that only she could do. But I have made absolutely no progress on the matter. I can't even walk now...

I sunk my head, leaving the depression invade me for a moment. Then I rose, jumping from the seat.

—I'm not letting something so small bring me down, I will find a solution to Cinnabar's problem, I just need to work harder!

—Phos, your legs.

I looked down and noticed I was standing on those things I had described as sticks. The sensation was still a bit weird, much like my eyes just before I got them, but I could move them.

—Dang it, you tantalizing little inclusions, I was worried for a moment there —I said, after doing some calisthenics—¸ Now I'm scared to sit down. Let's take a walk.

I said that, but just as I started walking I ended up going way faster and way further than I intended, leaving Shirou behind very quickly. It started raining and I ended up in the swamps. Rutile noticed that I was missing and sent Yellow Diamond to look for me, since he was the faster among us. As I had been running in almost a straight line, Shirou was able to tell him what direction I headed when he found him. Yellow was able to find and catch me, but while praising the material of my legs, she dropped me on a stone and my head cracked. By the time we got back to the school, I have more or less get accustomed to my new legs, with just a couple of spurs of involuntary acceleration now and then. Rutile helped me after she had finished fixing Zircon, who had been apparently hurt on battle that morning. 

—It didn't occur to me until now, but we lost some of our defense force recently —I said to Shirou as Rutile fixed me—, Dia has been relieved from patrol duty, so Bort is stationed near the school, only going to battle if she is called. And you can't fight anymore...

—If I concentrate enough I can probably recreate my arm for about 3 minutes, that should be enough to hold a sword and fight the Lunarians. I can't make an arm, a bow, and an arrow at the same time, though. If I had a magnet, I could probably try to find my arm under the sea, I'm pretty sure the Lunarians weren't able to take it.

We couldn't depend on that, so I arrived at a conclusion that I wasn't very fond, but it was necessary. After Rutile, Shirou and Yellow Diamond reported what happened to Sensei, and he explained about my "inner potential" being awakened, I declared my plan of action.

—Sensei, in the matter of the recent diminishing of our defense forces, I volunteer myself for patrol duties. I want to use this new power to fight!

Rutile immediately started throwing jabs at me, saying that I couldn't do anything with just speed. Shirou said that I didn't had to force myself and he would be partnering with Bort to make up for Dia.

—Obsidian, bring us your lightest blade —Sensei said, and the other three looked at him incredulous. Our small and cute blacksmith brought forth a sword and presented it to Sensei.

The moment I held it on my own, it dragged me to the ground. It was so heavy I could barely raise it from the floor.

—As I though, only your legs changed.

—I'll train every day, so...

—It's going to be a problem if you break everyday! —Rutile yelled.

—Why do you wish to fight when you know your body isn't suited for it?

—Huh? —What kind of question was that? Wasn't it obvious?—, it's because I love Sensei and I want to help.

Sensei eyes were wide open, as were Rutile and Yellow's.

—Huh? It's the same for everyone, isn't it? Is there another reason?

Rutile was blushing, while Yellow started laughing.

—Yes, it is exactly as you say, everyone loves Sensei, so we need to do our share to help.

Sensei coughed.

—Fighting like the others isn't an option, however, you might accompany Bort and Shirou's team. As my assistant, I expect you to be able to help both of them coordinate and support them in any way they could need without risking yourself.

—Understood!

—Also, while you are here, give me your report on the ocean. Dia already told me what he remembered, but anything after he entered the ocean was missing.

—Yes Sir! The ocean was... —I stopped, feeling once again that there was something, but it was too hazy to remember—, the ocean was... big and... scary...

—Sensei —Rutile intervined—, Phos lost about a third of her memories along with his legs, so...

—I understand, just tell me what you can remember.

—HUMANS. Yeah, Ruler said something about humans and...

The table that Sensei was touching broke into several pieces.

—I'm sorry, that's all that I can remember... —I said, a bit afraid that I had disappointed him, I looked around trying to find any solution, and one crossed my sight—, but Shirou was with us, do you remember anything about the humans?

He raised his face, he had the same gentle smile than before, but there was something off about it.

—No, I can't remember —he said—, those memories must have been on my arm.

—That's fine. Thank you.

We all leave Sensei's room, but I was still intrigued by Shirou's attitude.

—Do you really don't remember anything at all?

He looked at me with intensity, his glare was almost as heavy as my new sword.

—No, I don't. —his gesture became gentler again—, I'm sorry, I think I'm a bit tired.

—Well, we had a very tiresome day yesterday, let's rest and try our best tomorrow!

He nodded with a smile, but as I went to walk away, he stopped me.

—Phos... I don't think Adamant is a bad guy, but I think he is hiding something from us. I don't share that feeling that you say everyone else has.


	12. Winter

It has been a couple of weeks after Bort, Shirou, and I formed a team, and things were not going great. Not in respect of battling the Lunarians, that we had it dominated. But after the fights, Shirou and Bort will discuss very enthusiastically about each other performance. It was mostly Bort criticizing every little mistake, but unlike Dia, Shirou didn't hold back on his replies. I had tried to act as a conciliator, but Bort promptly told me to not shut up and stay aside of it.

Speaking of Dia, she has started going out of his room again, even doing a public apology to everyone, especially to us, even when we told him it wasn't necessary. She still looked guilty whenever we meet, and tried to avoid watching to our damaged parts. I started powdering my legs to hide it, and Shirou started to use a large cloth as a cape to hide his missing arm. It looked really good alongside with the second version of his uniform, more with the red parts that Red Beryl managed to finish this time.

During this time, Shirou had been training me in swordsmanship, with Bort giving "advice" here and there. Shirou and Morga would sometimes duel on their free time, apparently a tradition they developed since they were partners, and he tried to introduce me to it. I did my best, but I was still not at their level. 

He also tried to teach me archery, going so far to build a bow, arrows, and a target. My hands and eyes weren't too coordinated, so I never really hit the target's center. Our training caught the attention of the rest of the gems, and some of them started practicing on their own on their free times.

I say all of this, because it helped me realized I was very glad to have met Shirou, and I considered him my best friend, but I couldn't forget his words back then.

—What did he meant with that? Of course Sensei isn't a bad guy, how could he not trust him? —I keep saying in my head every so often, trying to understand what was going inside of his.

Sensei was after all our caretaker, he had given us beauty, he had treated us kindly, and got mad at us when we did something wrong, how could he not love him?

Over all of this, I was still looking for some better job for Cinnabar, as well as doing my job as Sensei's assistant, and working on the encyclopedia. Saying that it was mentally exhausting would be an understanding.

The days became colder as winter approached, and we started our preparations for the hibernation. As the temperature dropped, however, we find a new fascinating fact about Shirou, his body emanated heat. It was barely noticeable, and in warmer days not even he felt it, but now some of my brothers started to cling to him to get a bit warm.

Definitively not me, I was just around him for our patrol duties and because we were friends, nothing else. If I sometimes I was clinging from his back was only to protect him from the others.

—I don't really think I can sleep all winter —Shirou spoke as Red Beryl worked on his pajama, in which he looked visibly uncomfortable—¸ less while wearing this...

—It's cute, so it is fine, isn't it? —I replied.

—I'm more of a cool guy than a cute one, though.

—Well, too bad, Sensei made us all beauties, even the coolest of us is a cute one —Red Beryl chimed in. 

I didn't want to correct him and tell him that Sensei hadn't to sculpt Shirou like the rest of us. 

—Ah, Phos —Rutile called me—, I told Cinnabar to come to hibernate with us, but he wouldn't listen. Could you take his bedclothes to him at least?

—Awwwk —I made a face I don't want to describe—...I'll do it.

I got up and started going away. Shirou meet me when I was exiting the school, saying that he had fled when Red Beryl wasn't paying attention. He had put his black uniform, but didn't bother putting the red parts of it or the white cloth over it. He was carrying something inside of a bag, but he didn't tell me what it was.

—Do we really have to hibernate? —he asked as we walked through the meadow. I had been thinking the same, actually. 

—Well, we need sunlight to be energetic and cute, and there is very few days of sun during winter. I'm usually the first to go to sleep and the last to wake up, so I only know about it from the written informs of Antarc.

—Antarc?

—That's true, you haven't met him. His full name is Antarcticite. He is more or less of the same hardness as me, but he has a more unique constitution. Hear this, his body is liquid all year long, it only solidifies when it gets really cold. The coldest it gets, the stronger he becomes. To be honest, I haven't met him on person either, I just have read his reports, but he sounds like a really cool guy!

—Sounds like an interesting person, I would like to meet him.

We finally reached the residence of Cinnabar, a cavern on the side of a hill near the ocean. She was really surprised to see us, but didn't say anything, and I couldn't find any meaningful word to say either. Shirou, on the other side, gave him the contents of his bag, a rope with several spheres attached to it, which make sounds when they moved.

—If you are going to sleep alone, this will probably wake you up if something enters the cave —He said and exited the cave, I took a moment to appreciate the face Cinnabar was making, and then followed Shirou.

—What was that?

—Something like the wind chimes I made before, but heavier, so the wind doesn't move them unless it is very strong. I have been worried for her since the whole thing with Ventricosus.

—Ruler? What about him?

Shirou paused for a moment —Nothing, just though she would be an easy target if the Admirabilis tried to steal another gem.

We went back to the school, and Red Beryl forced Shirou to use his dress, just as the rest of us did. Rutile asked us how things went with Cinnabar.

—Awkward... —was the only reply I could give to him.

As every winter, Sensei came to say goodnight to us. I closed my eyes, but couldn't fall asleep. There was something in the back of my mind that didn't allow me to rest. I sat up, and crawled to where Shirou was.

—Are you sleeping?

—Not really. Is everyone else asleep?

I covered my hand on the cloth of my dress and pinched Bort's cheek, he reacted, but didn't opened his eyes.

—Like a log.

—Then... —he smiled mischievously—, want to stay until late and meet Antarc?

I nodded and he jumped to his feet, barely producing any noise despite how heavy he was. We changed clothes and went to see Sensei, who was with someone else. As we had hidden behind a pillar, they didn't notice at first.

—It must be lonely for you to do this all alone each year. I'm sorry.

—No, not at all! —Antarc said—Not at all, but... may I do the usual?

Sensei opened his arms, and the guy who I had admired for how cool he was jumped to him, breaking every mental image I had of him. He noticed us then and let out a loud and panicked scream.

—W-why are you awake?! Phosphophyllite and... who are you?

—Well, I suppose I couldn't get to sleep for some reason, I wanted to stay up a bit later. And this is Shirou, we find him this year. He is super strong and made of steel!

—Adamant —Shirou spoke— I would like to help Antarc on his winter duties.

—Huh? —Both me and Antarc said.

—Very well, this year it will be the two of you.

—Ah, wait, if Shirou joins him, I have to join as well, we are partners.

—I refuse —the white haired gem said—the new guy is one thing, but Phosphophyllite is a different thing!

—Then, would you like us to tell everyone about your "usual" thing? —Shirou said.

—I... I will be on your care...


	13. Gold

Phos and Antarc were walking ahead of me, talking about the changes that had happened since the last year. I wasn't paying too much attention, while I really wanted to meet Antarc there was another reason why I couldn't sleep.

I hadn't forgotten it. The words of Ventricosus about the humans, and the two figures that were among the Lunarians, specially the one with the sword. I knew her... but at that point I didn't know how or from where. I knew, however, that if they came back, Antarc wouldn't stand a chance against her, and I didn't know how strong Adamant really was. Even if he was truly indestructible, she could probably collapse the building and crush everyone inside. I couldn't allow that to happen.

I knew I needed to tell them, especially Phos. She was my best friend, but after what she had said to Adamant, I started to notice something on the other Lustrous. They were all devoted to Adamant, blindly so. As I have said to her, I didn't thought he had bad intentions, but there was something about him that didn't sit well with me. Maybe it was just his voice, or his attitude, I didn't know. I didn't had enough information, so I could only keep going and hope for the best.

Antarc took us all the way to a beach, with Phos barely managing to get there crawling. I offered to carry her, but she said it would be pointless if she didn't do it herself. On the ocean, there were large ice formations that resembled Lunarians, but Antarct told us they were Ice floes.

—Sensei once called them "Sinful ones" and I couldn't get that out of my mind. And also...

One of the ice floes started to sink under the ones next to it, and there was a horrible roar produced by the ice scraping against each other. The sound and the vibrations was enough to make Phos crack a little and fell to her knees.

—Their screams makes it difficult for the others to sleep, so we will crush them.

He leaped directly to one of the ice floes, digging the heel of his shoe on its surface several times and then using her serrated sword to give it the finishing blow, making it explode into several pieces.

—Give it a try.

—NO WAY!! —Phos yelled.

I wasn't too interested in that task, so I just acted as a watcher in case the Lunarians were to appear. Phos and Antarc had a conversation about knowing and exploring their limits, and that seemed to convince Phos to try it. Her first attempts were a bit lackluster, breaking her own face and almost falling to the ocean a couple of times. Antarc resigned to not see any improvement on Phos, so he made her cut the ice slowly with his serrated sword, while he kept breaking them at record speed.

We also had to remove snow from public places back at the school, even the rooftop. Phos fell a couple of times from it. We had to visit the place where everyone else was sleeping regularly, because they all had quirks that would become a problem if they were left unchecked. Bort would walk while sleeping, and the only solution was to throw a blanket over her. Dia will kick around, and the only solution was to throw a blanket over it. Jade will slip out of her clothes, and guess what the solution was? Even Adamant would start crashing into pillars after spending some days without meditation.

—ANTARC! SHIRO!! —Phos yelled one day where we were again crushing Ice floes. I got closer too since I got worried— This is the end for me.

—Are you going to give up now?

—No, it's not that, but the ice floe talked to me! I must be going crazy. The winter is scary after all.

—No, you are fine, they do that —Antarc said nonchalantly.

He told us that the ice floes were crystals just like them, with minerals inside, and could make noises that sounded like words. 

—But I heard it clearly, "it hurts", "it's painful", "I wanna go home", they say.

The screams of the ice scared Phos enough to make her want to go home, and for one, Antarc allowed us to return earlier. I looked back once more before following them, and felt something like dread and despair coming from the ice, but I convinced myself that it was just autosuggestion after hearing what Phos said.

When we got back, Adamant told Phos that while the Ice could make noises and even words, they didn't have a will of its own, they only reflected the unease of those who were around it.

—Keep your heart at peace when you face the ice.

—Yes sir.

—Phos has been keeping up better than I expected —Antarc said—, but I would wish that his arms where as powerful as his legs.

Those words stayed with Phos even when we went back to the Ice floes the next day, she looked to immersed on her own thoughts to do any actual work. There was a moment when I saw her putting her sword dangerously close to her own arms.

—No, no, what am I thinking —she said to herself, dropping the blade—, Rutile told me there aren't more replacements.

As I got closer, I heard something like a murmur, but couldn't figure what it was, and saw Phos looking too intensely at the ice, getting too close to a hole that gave me the impression of a mouth full of teeth. Phos was right in front of the hole, with her hand hovering over it, as if it was being dragged by an invisible force.

—No, no, no! —she suddenly said, jumping back—I can't do something like that!

She slipped, and was about to fall to the cold ocean.

—Phos! —I jumped, trying to catch her, but we both fell to the water. 

The ice started to launch against us as we sunk, I held Phos with my arm and tried to protect her with my body, but I got struck between two pieces of ices hitting my sides, as another came directly from the front, where Phos was completely unguarded.

Antarc managed to take Phos away just at the right time, but the ice still hit me. It wasn't enough to even crack me, but it still hurt a lot. Both of them grabbed me by my arm and tried to pull as hard as they could, but I was extremely heavy, and the ice shards didn't let go. I couldn't hold my breath for much longer also, but at the last moment, I remembered my special ability, and let spikes grow out of my body, piercing and destroying all the ice around me. Phos and Antarc managed to get me out of the water somehow, their hands and arms were all cracked.

—What were you doing?! —Antarc yelled at us, angry and worried. Her fierce glare started to turn into a sorrowful one—... You could have been smashed into pieces, I- I'm sorry.

—Wait, it isn't your fault! —Phos tried to intervene, but Antarc wasn't having it.

—Yes, it is. It's because I'm not used to work with anyone else that I got careless, I was just thinking about myself... if you had been smashed... I wouldn't know what to do... I have never failed like this before...

He started shivering and fell to her knees, Phos looked at me like trying to seek for an answer, but I had none. After being perplexed for a few seconds, Phos approached Antarc and hugged her.

—I fail like this all the time, so don't worry about it.

—OF COURSE I'M GOING TO WORRY, IDIOT!

—We can make it work, somehow. At least I didn't lose any limbs today.

Antarc threw a glare towards Phos, but that helped her calm down a bit.

—I think we can leave the Ice floes for tomorrow —Antarc said—, so why don't we go search for an arm for the new guy?

—Huh? —I muttered.

—Phos said you were very strong, but just now you saw how little you can do with just one arm, let's go look for a replacement.

Antarc made us follow him to the place where they had found me, or more specifically, the giant stone near there, the cliff of origins.

—So, how did you figure I didn't had one arm?

—You always stay on "watch duty", and you keep hiding your left side all the time. You also didn't try to use it to fight the ice under the water.

I blew up air from my nose. This guy was really perceptive. I moved my cape away to show him the lack of my arm.

—So, what happened?

—I lost it on the sea, and I intend to go and search for it once the ice melts.

—What do you think you were going to do if you happen to need it before then?

—What am I supposed to do? Steel can't be found easily in nature, and it would be near impossible to make enough from iron to replace my arm.

Antarc smiled and with a swing from his blade, he blew away all the snow that had accumulated over the beach, there were countless fragments of gems there.

—Oh! I see! —Phos said—, it doesn't have to be steel, as long as your inclusions accept it, like my legs. Even if it's weaker, you can change it later if you recover your arm.

—Exactly.

I wasn't too convinced, but allowed them to try with different materials. The ones that were more metal-like had a better effect, but nothing stuck to my arm for more than 4 seconds.

—What about this one? —Phos said, trying to lift up one that was an alloy of gold and platinum. It was so heavy she could barely get it off the ground a couple of centimeters. 

Antarc helped her and they put it on place. It seemed to have stuck, and it even moved and wiggled a bit, but it fell off after six seconds. Phos tried to catch it instinctively, but it only dragged her down, and the impact made her skin crack all over.

—I guess that's enough for today, we'll come back another day...

Suddenly a strong wind hit us, and it seemed weird to me as it was coming from the island instead of from the sea. It didn't waver either, hitting us constantly. Among the snow that it raised, I saw a figure approaching, too small to be Adamant. Worse, it was carrying some sort of spear. It had to be one of the two I saw before, with a new weapon.

—Antarc, you asked me what I would do if I needed my arm, right? This is my response.

I recreated my arm temporally and readied my blades. Antarc was a bit surprised, but took also a defensive stand along me.

—Um... guys, could you help me out a bit? —Phos said, breaking our concentration.

I tried to give a quick glance towards her without neglect the enemy approaching. However, that sight was completely unexpected. The gold alloy was seeping into the cracks on her skin, breaking her even more and taking strange patterns and shapes.


	14. Red

—What is happening? Why is it wrapping around me?! Why is it wrapping me up?! Shirou, Antarc, help me!

—Antarc, take her to Adamant!

—What? What about the enemy?!

—Just do it!

Antarc tried to lift Phos up, but it was too heavy and the alloy kept pushing him away. It kept growing and engulfing her, and there was nothing I could do at the moment.

—Phos, hold it there, we will get you to Adamant, he will know what to do. We just need to beat this one first.

—How cruel —a voice coming from the approaching figure said—, how could you refer to me in that way, after all that we went through...

The wind suddenly stopped, and we were able to see our enemy clearly. That person was carrying a red spear, and was wearing violet skinsuit that was so tight to her body it almost looked like body paint. Over it, she had what seemed to be the skin of a huge wolf. Her appearance was somehow familiar on its own, but her face... her face was something engraved deeply within me.

—Rin?

I almost dropped my swords from the shock, and I would have been pierced by her spear if Antarc hadn't blocked it with her sword, giving me a few more seconds to react.

—You gotta be more careful, I been waiting for this battle for a long time! —the person with the spear said, licking her lips.

—There is no time for you to daydream, who is he and why is he attacking us? —Antarc asked.

—... I don't know.

—But you called him Rin, isn't that his name?

—...No, I only vaguely remember Rin, it is just the ghost of a memory, but I know she wouldn't try to kill me without a warning.

The enemy smiled deviously.

—You are right, more or less, I'm not Rin, but I'm based on her. The name is irrelevant for me, but to avoid confusions, from now on you might call me Lancer.

Without giving us even a chance to take on what she has said, she started attacking us. She was very agile and quick, throwing her spear against me and Antarc alternatively, we could only block and deflect her attacks as she kept pushing us back. Soon, we were over the frozen ocean, and she started to use that to her advantage too, breaking the ice to try to make us sink.

Then the sky cleared up, and with the light of the sun, a sun spot appeared.

—They'll go after Phos! —Antarc said.

—Go and look after her, I can deal with Lancer on my own!

Without hesitation, Antarc rolled under one of our enemy attacks and went back running towards Phos. Lancer saw him getting away, but focused instead on me.

—Now that she is gone, do you think we can fight without holding our blows? —She said, licking her lips again.

—Yeah, let's finish this quickly —I said with as much conviction as I could muster, but the truth is that I have been doing my best just to keep up with her, and that was counting on Antarc's help.

Even my obsidian swords were starting to shatter, full of cracks all over their surface. Thinking about Phos, I stared mimicking what the gold alloy had done and filled the broken parts and fractures with my own steel. We keep exchanging blows, her hits were so powerful they would break the ice without even touching it, and even with steel holding them together, bits of my swords keep flying away after each impact. We had moved a lot during the fight, I could still see the island, but not the beach were Phos and Antarc where. I was running out of energy, and I had already lost a sword. Her body wasn't too strong, but she had managed to dodge or block almost all of my attacks with her spear, which seemed to be indestructible.

—Rin... why?

—Hmmm? Why else? It is all for your sake —she said with a smile—, "kill the seven summoned beings and win a wish" is what Franny said. Of course, we aren't going to let you kill us so easily, you have to prove yourself.

—What? What are you talking about?

—It is pointless to ask me, if I was told more details I wasn't paying much attention. I only was looking to have this fight, it is my raison d'etre, so to speak. Now, can we continue, there is something really cool that I want to show to you.

A red aura started to glow around her as she assumed a stance. I couldn't run at this point, so I could only hold my ground and defend myself from it.

—GAE BOLG!

—RHO AIAS!!

I made my shield, managing to create two layers, but the spear went through it easily. It missed me, but it exploded in a thousand of spears going in every direction, twisting and sprouting new spears as if it was the root of a three. The ones that hit me pierced my skin as easily as they had pierced my shield, but fortunately it had been only the smaller ones. The bigger ones, that could have potentially cut me in half, just barely scratched me.

She retracted her spear, and I collapsed to the ground, full of tiny holes. I couldn't hold my arm in its place anymore, and I felt like I could barely hold my shape on place.

—Oh? Was that too much for you? —Lancer said taunting me—, do you want five minutes to rest? I'll go and check out your friends and come back.

She started to go away.

—No, come back...

I said, but she was going farther and farther away. Antarc wasn't going to hold against her, and Phos was incapacitated. I couldn't let her get away, but I didn't had any more strength in my body. How could they even be that strong? She was within the realm of what I would consider realistic, but her spear was too resistant, it should have broken already. And that special attack of her, I'm pretty sure that there wasn't enough mass on the spear to make all those spikes. And the sword of that other person we fight on the sea, she was able to shoot beams of energy or something. That was some sort of magic beyond the realms of reality. But if they could do it, so could I.

—I SAID. COME. BACK! —I forced my body to stand on my two legs, and hold my only remaining sword on my only remaining arm. Electricity was running through my body, making actual sparks fly around me.

Lancer looked back, and smiled.

—This is what I was waiting for...

We both jumped to the battle, and I was able to counter her moves. Each impact had enough force to send a shockwave, breaking the ice floes below and around us. Her hands started cracking by the force of the impacts, while she seemed to be having the time of her life. But this was not enough. I would run out of "steam" before I managed to cause any substantial damage to her.

Getting desperate, I attacked her without thinking, and she broke my sword, leaving me only holding the handle, and with her spear aiming to my chest. Just then, I saw a silver liquid rising from behind Lancer and covering her entirely. That distracted her for a moment, and gave me an opportunity to attack. But I was unarmed. I couldn't even muster the strength to move the metal in my body to make a sword. The only thing I could do was to pull a sword from where I had pull energy when I had none left. I raised my arm while holding only the hilt of my broken sword and focused on it.

—Trace OVEREDGE!! —a thousand of tiny blades manifested from the hilt and formed a blade even longer than the one I had before, and I let it fall with all my might against Lancer.

She managed to get the silver fluid from her eyes and blocked the attack, but it was too late. Her elbows were too low for her to put enough strength on it, and her hands finally broke. My sword hit her shoulder and kept going, almost cutting her in half. She stopped moving.

—Ah~ well done, Emiya... —She said, before collapsing over me. I could feel the sword I created out of nothing returning to the nothing—. I think it's time for me to go, just be careful with the others, they won't be as nice as I am.

—Goodbye, Rin.

She started to glow and vanished into gleams of light, leaving me alone in the ice, with some of the silver liquid on me. It burned my skin a bit.

—You can get out of there now, I need to thank you for saving me, and I can't move anymore.

A head peaked from behind an ice floe, her red hair was a telltale of who she was.

—I didn't help you, I just attacked an enemy —Cinnabar said—, but he... he was like us, wasn't it?

—No, she was made by the Lunarians —I said, though I wasn't sure that was the case—Why are you awake?

—The bells you gave me kept ringing since you two started fighting, and all the ice breaking was noisy too.

—So that was it... —I was about to drift out of conscience when a though crossed my mind— Phos!

I got up somehow, grabbed the spear, and started running, Cinnabar followed me.

—What do you mean? Why is Phos awake?

—That doesn't matter, go look for Adamant and bring him to the cliff of origins!

She followed my instructions and went towards the school, but by the time I reached the beach, neither Phos nor Antarc where there. There were, however, some footsteps, and I followed them, meeting with Cinnabar and Adamant on the way and telling them to follow me, we went back all the way to where we had been breaking Ice floes.

Phos was chasing a fleeing Sun spot, and had jumped to catch it, her arms stretching almost as long as her own body, but she wasn't going to make it. Adamant was still too behind to launch an attack, and Cinnabar, who had keep the pace with me, didn't had any range attack.

There was only something I could do, I recreated my arm, and manifested a bigger than usual bow, borrowing materials from my imaginary pockets. I intended to use the spear to instead of an arrow. I pulled the string as much as I could and aimed it at the Sunspot.

—Cinnabar, take cover —I said.

She hid behind a rock, and I released the string. As I expected, the recoil hit me hard, and probably due to the piercings I suffered before, my whole body was torn apart.


	15. Frozen

I was trapped in a box made of gold, with only a small window from where I could see. I could feel the alloy seeping through the cracks in my body, making them even deeper and wider, as if the alloy was trying to tear me apart. It wasn't just terrifying, it also felt absolutely gross.

A new kind of enemy had appeared and attacked Shirou and Antarc, one who looked like us. He was wearing clothes that seemed to be from an animal, one with lots of fur. Under that, he wore a purple suit that was very tight, almost looked like if it was only painted over his skin. His hair was black and tied into disheveled twin tails, but his skin was white, as if he had put powder on himself as we do. His chest was a bit inflated, a bit like Ruler's water bags, but not quite as big or bouncy. He was carrying a red spear, and he was very good fighting with it. At least, I presume he was, because I couldn't see much of the combat from where I stood, I only heard the weapons crashing, and the ice flows screaming and breaking.

Then the Lunarians appeared, and Antarc came back to protect me. I was sorry I ever doubt that he was a cool guy. He fought the Lunarians, and did pretty well, but when he cut the head of the statue in the center, the platform didn't dissipate. Alexi must have informed him about the new types that hid weapons or traps made with pieces of our captured brothers, because he didn't let his defenses down, until there was a flash of light, coming from the direction of the school.

That brief moment of distraction was enough for the Lunarians to activate their trap, and six hooks came out of the statue, one of them being quickly enough to break his hand and take it away. They leave it just at the foot of the statue, obviously as a trap.

—WHAT IF I FORGOT ABOUT SENSEI?!!! —Antarc screamed, and launched himself against the trap.

The hooks took away his sword and chipped a lot of her, but he continued to try to recover his hand at any cost. He got entangled by all of the hooks, but using a titanic force, he managed to tear the statue from its hinges, making the vessel disappear. The impact on the ground made his already torn body to break into more pieces, but even after all that punishment he got up.

—Phos? Are you still there?

—Yeah, I'm inside... and this thing is also inside me...

—I can't say if your inclusions took a liking to it or not.

—Never mind that, where is Shirou?

—He must still be fighting Lancer, and I can't move you, so we can only wait until Sensei-

Before Antarc could finish his thoughts, an arrow hit his in the back, breaking his neck and many other places that were only hanging by a thread.

As his pieces fell to the ground, he took his finger to his lips.

—Shhh, I don't want Sensei to be lonely, so take over the winter duties for me.

I tried to scream, but the alloy was covering my mouth. I could not move, I could only see the Lunarians calmly collecting every piece of Antarc and gathering all on their Sun spot. Where did they even come from? The only time two sun spots appeared so closely was when they dropped Ruler at our door, so these ones... these ones must have been the ones that dropped Lancer.

—MOVE. MOVE DAMMIT! YOU ARE PART OF ME, SO OBEY ME AND MOVE!!! —I screamed, but my voice was muffled by the alloy—THEY ARE TAKING AWAY ANTARC! MOVE YOU PIECE OF SCRAP!!!

I heard my voice say the last line, and so did the Lunarians, as the cube started to release me. I put my feet on the ground, and the weight immediately sent me to my knees, everything in my body was cracking, being filled by the alloy and cracking again. I started walking somehow, dragging all the gold that was still attached to me. First I could barely crawl, but I started to gain speed. The Lunarians started shooting arrows at me, but I was already ahead from where they were aiming. I passed near Antarc's sword and grabbed it, with the brief impression that it had been a bit out of my reach, but I didn't had time to ponder about that. I jumped to their vessel, but before I reach it, they shoot more arrows at me. The arrows stuck to my body without breaking it, digging themselves on the fluid gold between my own shards. The impacts where enough to throw me back to the ground, though.

I jumped to my feet and started running again, running so fast that pieces of me were being broken by the wind. I did not care, they were getting away with Antarc, and I wasn't going to let them! I reach the last cliff and jumped with all my might. I stretched my arm, and the alloy between my cracks kept expanding, allowing me to reach further. But just when I was about to catch them, I started falling.

I stared with eyes wide open the container with all the pieces of Antarc being taken away, it seemed like time had frozen over and that was my punishment for failing, to just continually experience that moment.

Then I heard something like a whistle in the wind, and in a brief instant, I saw a red bolt passing by directly above me, and hitting something aboard the sun spot. Thousands of spikes suddenly emerged from it, destroying everything and releasing Antarc's shards. I was so surprised, overjoyed, and relieved, that I almost forgot to collect them. I used the new elasticity of my arms to gather even the most small of them and covered in a ball of gold, holding it very close to my chest.

Hearing the sound of my body approaching the ground at high speeds, I closed my eyes and braced myself for impact. Best case scenario, I would hit snow and survive. Bad case scenario, I would hit the ground and break in thousands of pieces, be covered in snow, and neither Antarc nor me would be found until spring. I didn't want to consider what would happen if I would hit water or ice, which was the more likely possibility.

Instead of any of that, I was caught by Sensei, and he managed to land himself in a way that allowed him to diminish the impact.

—Sensei... I managed to recover Antarc...

—I'm very glad and thankful —he said, getting me closer to his chest—, both that you did it, and that you are fine yourself.

—Excuse me then... I'll be taking a tiny bit re- AH!! —I almost jumped from his arms—Sensei, Shirou is in danger! There was a new kind of enemy with a spear and-

He put his finger on my mouth.

—Whatever it was, he dealt with it already. He used that spear to destroy the Lunarians...

—So that was that red bolt... where did it ended?

I looked around and caught a glimpse of it just before it sunk on the frozen water.

Sensei carried me all the way to where Shirou was. Cinnabar was there, but turned away whenever I looked at her. Shirou was a mess, his legs were separated of his torso, and his only arm was completely destroyed. There were also some strange burned mark on his body. I asked Sensei to let me down so I could help him gather the pieces, but when I touched his torso I got very surprised and scared.

—W-what? —Cinnabar asked as reply to seeing my face.

—He is cold! —I said very worried, but neither Sensei or Cinnabar could understand what I meant. All winter, even on the coldest day, Shirou had been emanating heat from his body, but now he was laying there in pieces, frozen cold, almost as... as a corpse.


	16. Spring

Several days later, I found myself daydreaming while watching the frozen ocean and feeling the cold breeze of the morning. By that point I had become accustomed to seeing my arms with its natural pale green color and cracks filled with gold.

The gold alloy that I absorbed (or that had absorbed me, it was difficult to tell) had formed a vein inside my body, which gave me more durability, but at the cost of my recent obtained speed, and the fact that my original body has been torn into pieces that were only kept together by the alloy itself. This also allowed me to stretch a lot, and make my body take almost any shape. I had learned to control this somewhat, but whenever I changed its shape drastically it will make me look like a mess.

I had to make a compromise in the name of my own self image, so I decided to only use the alloy on my arms, while keeping my head, body, and legs as they were. Some of the alloy has formed heels in my shoes by breaking the sole of them, but this also allowed me to use the gold I had inside my legs. I also have noticed that the more of the alloy I pushed out of my body, the more fragile I would become.

A sun spot appeared right in front of me, and I only noticed when I heard the arrows whistling through the air. I put my hand in front of me and let the alloy flow to the outside, forming a shield that I tried to make like Shirou's, with the petal pattern and all, but I couldn't get it exactly right. It was too viscous, but it stopped the arrows, so it worked.

—Right, I have work —I said, and for a moment I put my hand on the hilt of Antarc sword, which I have been carrying since that battle—, no, Sensei told me to report it to him...

I started walking back to the school, and the Lunarians followed me, fruitlessly shooting arrows, and even waited outside while I informed Sensei about them. He patted me on the head on our way out.

—Phos, which type do you see it as?

—I think it is one of the old type —I said—, let me check it.

Leaving the alloy flow from my heels, I started to make a staircase, still using my fluid shield to protect myself I advanced casually until I got to the statue in the center and decapitated it. The whole vessel started to disappear, alongside all the Lunarians aboard.

—Yeah, it was an old type.

A Lunarian managed to shoot an arrow before disappearing, but my eyes allowed me to see it coming and block it. It still messed with my balance and I fell from my fragile staircase. Sensei caught me, telling me to be a bit more careful and praised me for how much I had developed.

—Thank you Sensei, I'll go and continue breaking the ice floes.

—Rest a little before you go.

—I'm not as fast as I used to be, so I need to hurry if I want to return before the sunset. Antarc will be angry when he wakes up and see that I had been doing his job lousily.

—Very well, just be careful and return here if any other Sunspot were to appear.

—Yes sir.

Since the day in which Antarc was almost stolen from us, Sensei and I had been working without rest trying to fix him and Shirou. We had tried countless times to wake Rutile up to help us, but he was a very heavy sleeper during hibernation. We had resigned to do the fixing ourselves.

Shirou had been easy to put together, his arm was the one part that had more damage, but even after putting all the pieces in their place they just didn't stick together. I had to use lots of resin and held him together for several hours for him to finally stay in one piece. He still didn't wake up, and his chest was cold. Some days I could swore he felt a bit warm, but I could never be sure if that was the case or just my imagination.

Fixing Antarc was another mess altogether. He had been broken entirely, and while I had caught all the pieces that the Lunarians stole, I still had to recover others from the beach near the cliff of origins, and I didn't feel too good going there, so I tried to spent as little time there each time.

And just as Rutile had said, tiny fragments would conglomerate to form body parts even if they didn't belong together originally, the problem is when you have those body parts. I had like four or five pieces that looked like they could be either his neck or part of his forearms or from his legs. Sensei and I spent like a week debating whether a finger was the pinky from the right or the left hand, only to realize it was the index that was still missing some parts.

In all that time I didn't slept properly, just dozing for moments, but every time I closed my eyes I had nightmares. It was either Antarc being broken into pieces and stolen right in front of me, or Sensei being attacked by Lancer, and in both I couldn't do anything. I also had dreams where I was looking for Shirou all around the island, but couldn't find him anywhere.

There was one time when I woke up suddenly from one of those dreams, finding myself in the floor of the infirmary. It was still dark outside, and in the table in front of me were the pieces of Antarc. Before I fell asleep, I had been trying to repair her, with little to no progress due to my tiredness.

—If only we could melt all his pieces he will be fixed instantly.

—Why don't you start a fire, then?

I jumped from my chair, and looked around. It sounded like Shirou's voice, but I had a few auditory hallucinations before, hearing either his voice or Antarc, due to the lack of sleep or by spending too much time among the ice floes. But he was there, still lying on the table next to me, but with his eyes opened.

—Good morning, Phos.

—I-It's already past midnight, dummy —I said, laughing.

The alloy started emanating from my eyes, and I couldn't stop it for a while. Sensei would later tell me that "crying", as he called it, was a flaw inherited from our ancestors, but somehow I didn't feel like it something bad.

I hugged Shirou and he hugged back, and we stayed like that until it become extremely awkward. He was still very weak, and couldn't even get up without help, let alone walk on his own.

—Did you cut your hair?

—Ah, yes. I used it to fill some shards that I lost. It makes me look sharper, doesn't it?

—The others are going to be surprised when they see you, and not only because of your hair.

—About that... —I touched the cracks on my face, filled with the gold alloy. I put him up to date with what had happened since the attack, and when I couldn't find anything more to say, I asked him what he had meant earlier.

—About making fire? You don't know how to make fire?

—Well, we can't use magic like the Lunarians, and fire in the wild is very dangerous, Sensei has told us to drown it with water if we ever see one. Yellow told us there used to be a tiny forest near the school, but it burned down when lighting hit it.

—Fire is dangerous, but you can make it without magic, and with the right precautions, it should be safe.

He told me I what I had to do, and I followed his instructions, gathering dry wood and stones when I went on patrol the next day. I dug a hole next to the school when I came back, put the stones around it, and the wood inside of it. The next part was the difficult one, make friction by spinning a stick against another. It took me quite a while, but I managed to get some sparks, and the fire started.

I then found we had another problem. I couldn't expose Antarc shards directly to the fire, they might melt too quick and fall into the fire. I thought of putting them on water inside one of our plates, but they were all from wood and started to turn black before the water on it warmed enough.

So I turned the alloy in my hands into a recipient, being careful to move all the pieces of my original body away from the direct fire. It worked, but I could only do so much before the fire started to hurt my hands and I had to put them in the ice. I managed to form an entire leg on my own, but it still took me three days. When Shirou finally recovered enough strength to walk and manipulate his body, he accelerated the process, as he could withstand the heat better than I.

—That's cheating —I said, crossing my arms and pouting, but I was glad I would be able to see Antarc sooner. I also was glad to avoid burning my hands constantly.

When we had him in five or six fragments, we took him to the infirmary table and were able to finally put his in one piece. He opened his eyes, and raised herself slowly, touching his body as if looking for a missing part.

—I... I though the Lunarians captured me... what happened? And... what happened to you?

—We saved you! —I enthusiastically said—, well, more like, Shirou saved you, I only caught your pieces.

—Thank you... both of you —He let out a big sigh of relief, and then looked at Shirou very intently—, what happened to Lancer? Did you pushed him into the ocean?

—That... would have been a good idea, but no. Cinnabar helped me with a surprise attack, and I was able to defeat her. I used his spear to destroy the Lunarians that captured you. Speaking of which, what happened to it?

—Ah! Yeah, about that... it fell into the ocean...

Shirou saw that I felt guilty, but he told me to not worry about it.

—Shirou, I suspect there will be more like him, won't they?

—There are at least two more.

—Eh? There are? —I interrupted.

—... Lancer mentioned them.

Antarc looked away.

—I'll be gone once spring starts, you two have to promise me you will protect Sensei and everyone else in my place. Go and get that spear once the ice melts, it might be useful for something.

—You can count on us! —I said, manipulating the alloy in my hand to make my fist bigger.

Antarc looked surprised at this, so I had to explain to his the changes I had experienced recently on my body.

—By the way, I had been fulfilling your job restlessly, including hugging Sensei every morning!

—T-That's just... only once on... the first day...

—Eh? Well I suppose you don't want to continue doing it now that you have resumed your job?

—I... I will...

Coincidentally, Sensei entered the room right then, so we left them alone. The next day Antarc felt rested enough and accompanied us to the winter duty, but he and Shirou stayed aside while I showed off my developed talent to destroy ice floes and shove snow. A week later, winter was ending, and Antarc retired to his own hibernation pool.

—Good night, Sensei, we'll meet next year —I heard Antarc say from behind the door were I was hiding.

—I'll be waiting for you, good night.

—Sensei... I love you.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then footsteps. Sensei opened the door and closed it, staying right in front of me, but almost like he wasn't noticed me. His eyes moved a little, right to where I was.

—Phosphophyllite, it is not polite to sneak to hear private conversation.

—I was- I wasn't, I just was waiting for you to finish your business with Antarc... to inform you that I... will be waking up the others.

I said and ran away from there. In the way to the hibernation chamber I met up with Shirou.

—Did Antarc went to sleep already?

—Yeah, Sensei was just saying good night to him.

—A lot happened just this winter...

—Right, but the Lunarians didn't take anyone away this year, so we need to work hard this new year to keep it that way.

Shirou nodded with an encouraging smile. We reached the place where everyone was sleeping, and I clapped three times.

—Everyone get up, it is a new year and we need to be as bright as the sun!

—Phos? Wha- Why are you awake? —Rutile asked— Where is Antarc? And what happened to you?

—Antarc already went to sleep —I said, and for some reason, it felt good to say it— the rest is too long, we'll talk about it on the morning assembly.

—Fine, fine, but could you at least go and see how Cinnabar is doing? Tell him to come to the assembly if he can.

—Cinnabar...

—Ah, right, it would be too awkward, I'll go.

—No, don't worry. I'll go.

I ran as fast as my new body allowed me to, and found Cinnabar still sleeping, using his hibernation dress as a pillow. Thinking that just confirming he was still there was fine enough, I tried to turn around and return to the school, but my hand moved by accident one of the ropes that were hanging from the entrance, making the bells on it ring.

—Phos? What are- Ne-nevermind...

—G-good morning, Cinnabar, I just came to see if you were fine and well, hahaha. Well, I hope we keep working together this year, take care~

—Wait! —I frozen with my back to her—, how is your friend, Shirou?

—Fixing him was a pain, but he is fine, only a bit weak and tired.

—I see... how much did you had to scrape out of him?

—Scrape? What do you mean? —I turned around and he seemed to get flustered and angry.

—The contaminated spots! He got covered in my mercury when I used it on that enemy Lustrous.

I raised my eyebrow, confused about what he was talking about. Then I remembered something I hadn't paid attention to then, but seemed relevant now.

—Oh! He had some marks on his body that looked like burn marks, but they had disappeared by the time he woke up.

—They... disappeared?

—I suppose steel can't be corroded as easily as the rest of us. And he generates heat on his own, maybe he doesn't even need to be exposed to the sun, so even if he was covered by your Mercury it could not affect him. Oh! Maybe if you were to partner with him-

—I refuse. He only brings as much trouble as you do.

—Fine, but could you at least come to the morning assembly today?

He looked at me for a long time, and then looked away as he stood up.

—I'll think about it.


	17. Separation

By the time I got back to the school, with Cinnabar reluctantly following me, the morning assembly had already started. Sensei was talking to everyone about what had happened when they were sleeping.

—Due to their injuries, Shirou and Antarc were out of commission for several days. In the meantime, the winter duty was taken solely by Phosphophyllite.

—HUH??!! —Everyone said.

Sensei asked me to explain to them about the strategy the Lunarians had used, and I tried to do so to the best of my capabilities, using the elasticity and malleability of my arms to create visual aids.

—We encountered a new type of enemy that looked like one of us. He called himself Lancer, and carried a spear as a weapon. I was... incapacitated during this encounter, so Shirou and Antarc engaged in combat against him. Shortly after that, a sun spot appeared near where I was, so Antarc returned to help me. He defeated the regular Lunarians with ease, but the statue in the middle had a trap of several hooks made with pink fluorite's shards that started chipping pieces of Antarc and tangling him on its rope. Antarc managed to destroy it, but just after that, another unit appeared and attacked by surprise. It was small, but it was a type that was not in Alexi's reports.

I made a very basic representation of their configuration with my alloy, but when my eyes went back to my brothers, I could see them with faces of confusion and fear. Everyone was either trying to put some distance between us, or was hiding behind Bort, the only one standing without flinching.

—Phos, are those... your arms?

—And your face... and legs, are you cracked right now?

—Ah, about that... the reason why I was incapacitated during that attack was because this weird gold and platinum alloy started seeping into my cracked body. I'm more sturdy now, and at the same time, more flexible. It isn't dangerous at all... probably.

I tried to convince them by making the alloy take the shape of flowers, and with the pieces of my original body floating on it, it looked pretty nice. However, this had the opposite reaction to what I wanted and everyone ran away and hide, except Bort, of course.

—Are my arms really that weird? —I asked Shirou in a whisper.

—I'm the worst person you could ask that —he replied, turning his finger into a flower. His looked nicer and more realistic than mine.

I felt a bit betrayed, but before I could come up with any clever comeback I felt a stick pocking my arm. Dia was holding it with a big grin on his face, while the rest watched in awe.

—COOL! —Amethyst eighty four said.

—Hey! Do that thing from before, show us again! —Yellow said.

—I can't see, move aside! —Alexi said.

—Don't push me! —Red beryl said.

—HUH? —was the only reply I could muster.

I looked at Shirou again, who had this obnoxious grin on his face.

—That somehow makes me nostalgic —he said.

—HUH?!!

—Hey, you! —Red Beryl approached me stomping his feet, and shaking me vigorously by the shoulders once he caught me— What have you been doing? Your winter uniform is all beat up and you are way too tall! I need to remake your summer uniform!

Everyone was giving me his undivided attention, even the normally quiet and timid Obsidian was all about how I could hide blades within my alloy. While that sounded cool, being the focus of everyone was very tiresome.

When Rutile appeared carrying all his "medical instruments" I knew it was time to flee. The fake me I left behind only distracted them by a moment, but the second one managed to send them on a wild goose chase while I hid hanging from a pillar. Even then, Bort was able to find me, and for a moment I thought he was sensible enough to not get any weird ideas about my new body. I was wrong.

—Let's see if I can cut through that new body of yours! —he screamed while leaping against me, his sword unsheathed. 

I managed to block him with my fluid shield and threw him away, hiding behind Sensei before he could come back. By that time, however, everyone has already returned.

—Sensei, I'm begging you...

—You have become so popular.

—That's the problem, please make them stop!!

—Hmm. Everyone who wants to mess with Phos, please get in line.

—Yes sir!

I ran away when I still had the chance, even after I heard Sensei said that it was a joke. For the rest of the Lustrous it surely wasn't. I ended up walking all over the island for quite some time, not feeling too comfortable to return to the school yet. Around three hours before the sunset, I found the Amethyst twins about to fight a Lunarian´s vessel.

—Please allow me, I kind of want to show off for you two —I said, and started approaching the Lunarians, with the same strategy that I had been using all winter.

Except Sensei wasn't there to cover me, and the twins were there, I couldn't mess up now. I cut the statue, but it was empty. Once again, a Lunarian shoot at me mid vanishing, but I was expecting it, and managed to keep my balance and return to the ground safely. The Amethyst hugged and congratulated me.

—You are entirely different from the Phos from before the winter —Thirty three said, making me blush a bit.

—There you are, I have been looking all day for you —Bort said, after appearing from my blind spot.

—The last time I saw you, you tried to cut me, it is only natural for me to avoid you!

—That's that and this is this, Sensei went to sleep, so we need to go on patrolling, quit slacking.

—Eh... what about Shirou?

Bort turned around dramatically, his hair waving with the wind.

—That guy isn't going to be patrolling with us anymore.

—...huh?


	18. Ship

After Phos fled, Adamant made everyone gather again, as there was still something to be discussed.

—Shirou, go ahead —he said.

I stepped ahead and told them the details of Lancer that Phos hadn't had a chance to mention, as well as the very likely possibility there will be more like her. 

—If any unknown Lustrous appears, use the whistle to inform the rest of us, and don't engage them in combat. They have strange abilities that I can only describe as magic, so never assume you know what they are capable of doing. They are working with the Lunarians. Take that in consideration and don't let your guards down. I want to make this very clear, only I or Adamant are allowed to fight them.

Bort didn't seem to like that too much, but the rest accepted my recommendation without any objection. They seemed worried and a bit anxious. 

—Right now, I'm not at my full capacity, so I will go look for the spear that Lancer brought, which is currently at the bottom of the sea. That should better our odds against them. 

—Eh? Sensei, is he really allowed to go, after what happened? —Jade asked, giving a quick glance at Dia.

—We need any resource we can get to protect ourselves, and he is very determined to go.

It has been rather hard to convince Adamant to let me go. He insisted that I was still too weak, so we had agreed to wait a couple of days more. He also tried to make me take a companion alongside, and I said I will think about it, but I couldn't drag someone away from patrolling duties. 

Later that evening, when the gems were coming home, I saw a very angry Phos coming running right to me.

—What do you mean you are leaving?! —she yelled, her face too close to mine.

I threw a glance at Bort, who clearly hadn't shared the whole story to her. Bort just looked away. I explained the situation to Phos, and she immediately tried to volunteer herself to join the expedition.

—No, you have to stay here and help Bort protect everyone. You are now almost as strong as I was with my two arms, so with you here there shouldn't be a problem.

Phos didn't look satisfied with this, and was trying really hard to think of any reply that would convince me otherwise. 

—Then... —a figure appeared from behind Phos, surrounding her slowly with her arms —shall I go with him instead?

Phos let out a surprised scream that was barely audible. Bort didn't move an inch, but I thought I saw her trembling a bit. The gem behind Phos peaked from behind her with a subtle smile and lethargic eyes.

—You must be... —I started to say, she was the only one who I hadn't interacted before, but I have heard about her— Ghost Quartz, right? 

—That is correct —She smiled a bit more, finally letting go of Phos—, I'm in charge of the common library and the long recovery facilities, but as I haven't had a permanent partner in a long time I'm not usually on patrolling duty, so it will not affect us if I go away for a couple of days.

—I appreciate your offer, but I can't accept it. 

—So it is impossible after all? —Ghost said with a slightly defeated tone—, then I'll stay here and pair with Phos and Bort.

Both gems shivered and froze in place at the same time.

—That was a joke —Ghost said with a small mischievous smile before going away, almost fading in the shadows of the hallway.

—That kid is a dangerous one —Bort said with a hint of nervously on her voice.

—I agree... —Phos said, leaving a deep sigh escape from her mouth, and sitting next to me— I can't understand him, I'm deeply indebted to him and yet he treats me like he admires me... in his own particular way.

—Indebted to her? —I asked.

Phos pointed to her blue eyes.

—This belonged to his former partner, Lapiz Lazuli. When I lost my own, he offered these saying that if we ever got enough to repair him, they could easily make another set of eyes out of his long hair. Since then I have been trying to act more like Lapiz, and that inspired me to become Sensei's assistant, but I sometimes feel like Ghost sees me like if I was actually Lapiz.

—Such foolishness —was Bort only comment as she turned away and went to her room.

Phos and I keep talking a bit more about her and Ghost, and how she had the habit to appear seemingly out of nowhere. In the followings days, I started to notice crossing paths with Ghost more often than before, but I attributed it to me being more aware now that I had talked to her.

I used all that free time to build a new diving helmet, as well as many other trinkets that I made just out of boredom. Finally, the day of my expedition arrived, and Phos and Bort came along with me until we got to the beach were we had been breaking ice floes just a few weeks before.

—I can't tell you how far it fell, but I jumped from this cliff, so it must be in a straight line from here.

—Got it. I might take me a couple of days, so be careful and take care of everyone, I want to come back and see all of you —I said.

—You too, come back home safely.

—Don't worry —a different voice said —I'll take care of him.

We all turned to find Ghost standing just behind us, it was almost unbelievable that we hadn't notice her in all our way from the school.

—Ghost? What are you doing here? —Phos nervously asked. 

—Hmmm? Whatever would you mean with that? I said before I was going to go with Shirou.

—You said that was a joke!

—That was about patrolling with you two. I already asked Sensei's permission, and put on the water proof solution already, so it is fine. 

—It isn't fine at all, how come I haven't heard of this until now?

—I told Bort, I thought he would tell you.

We both looked at Bort, but she just looked away. Phos started shaking her by the shoulders, but at the end, the result was the same.

—You cannot follow me —I said—, even if Sensei is here, he might need everyone's help if another being like Lancer shows off when I'm not around.

—Then, could you assure me that you could defeat another being like Lancer in the state that you are if you were to encounter them under the sea? Aside from that, you are going to use that "thing" to breathe underwater, aren't you? What is going to happen if you lose it? You are going to "drown" like before, don't you? What do you think it's going to happen if you fall unconscious underwater alone? Even if you somehow end up being pushed by the currents to the shore, we might all be crushed by then. 

—Y-you really thought about it —I didn't wanted to admit it, but she had a few good points —... Fine, you can come with me.

Phos wasn't too thrilled about it, but accepted that it was more dangerous if I were to go alone. We climbed the risk down with the help of her fluid arms and started entering the ocean.

—You two have to come back in one piece! —Phos yelled while waving us goodbye.

I put up my new diving helmet on and went underwater. This one only covered my nose, which had the unintended advantage of allowing me to talk with Ghost on our travel. 

—You are quite the creative one, where do you get the ideas from all of this?

—I'm not sure, they are like memories, but I only recall the properties of objects, not where I saw them.

—Hmmm, that's fascinating.

—What about you? Are you going to tell me the real reason for you to want to come along?

She smiled.

—I do care about all of my brothers, that includes you. I don't want to lose anyone else —she paused and looked away —, I'm tired of losing people I care for...

There was something different about her voice in her last sentence, but when she looked back at me, she was back to normal.

—That is not to say I didn't had an ulterior motive, I'm not that pure. I want to be closer with Phosphophyllite, but our personalities doesn't match at all. You are good friends with him, so I wanted to watch you and understand what I should change about myself.

—Don't think about it that way, you should strive to be better, but not to change who you are. If you want to be friends with Phos, you just need to get to know each other and accept each other good and bad points.

—Oh, that's strangely insightful.

—What is so strange about that? —I said.

She ignored my question, instead pointing to a fish that was swimming near us. 

—Hmmm, last time I came to the ocean there was only crabs and sea plants, I didn't thought there were fishes anymore.

—I once saw a really big one just before winter, it launched a stream of water from a hole in his back.

—That might have been a whale. They were the biggest aquatic animals in the world, but originally they came from the land.

—Oh, that's sounds a bit like us. Our ancestors fled to the water but died, and from their remains we were born, and then we returned to the land. I wonder if the whales will come to the land and be our friends.

I was about to explain to her that it would be very unlikely, given that the world seemed to be covered in water with only a tiny bit of earth over its surface, but that didn't sound appropriated somehow, so now I was who changed the subject of the conversation, telling them about other creatures that came to my mind. 

We keep walking in a straight line until we got to a deep trench surrounded by kelp, far too deep for the hose of my diving helmet. There was a current pushing towards the trench, so there was a chance that the spear could have fallen into it, but before I could think of what we could do, Ghost surprised me by jumping into the trench, saying that she will go and look for it while she was sinking slowly. 

—I couldn't find anything —she said when she returned after about half an hour of me worrying—, but the current at the bottom keeps pushing things that way. 

I thanked her and we went to the direction she had pointed, but I told her to stop doing things so impulsively. 

—Sorry, sometimes the other me gets impatient and takes over.

—The other you?

She explained to me that she was two individual gems living in one body, as the one inside didn't form properly and Ghost Quartz could only grow over other minerals. As she was telling me this we had followed the trench as it became less and less deeper, until it ended up in an almost flat area, with some rocks surrounding it. The red spear of Lancer was conveniently on the middle of it. I immediately pulled Ghost behind one of the rocks and told her to hide.

—This is obviously a trap —she said, trying to look discretely over the surface of the water.

She found two sun spots, and I found another, all of them hiding as much as they could. They were too many to fight and we had the disadvantage of being underwater, and if we waited until the night, it was probably that they would take the spear away. But we still had an opportunity.

Trying to mimic one of Phos' new abilities, I thought of expanding my hand under the sand to grab the spear, pull it quickly and then we will hide on the trench until the Lunarians had to go away. Even if I ran out of air and fainted, Ghost could drag me to the surface once it was safe. However, I wasn't as flexible as Phos, I was only good at recreating weapons, so I had to improvise a bit. Making a blade sprout from my finger, and then another from that one, I started to make a chain to reach the spear. When I was just about to reach it, Ghost noticed something and pulled me away, and I retreated the blades into my arm instinctively. A second later, something hit the rock that we were using to hide, blowing it into pieces. Ghost and I were went "flying" away by the shock wave and I fainted for a moment. 

—Shirou? Shirou? —Ghost spoke, making me recover my senses.

We weren't under the sea anymore. She was cracked, but not missing any piece. We were chained, which was a bit weird but not entirely unexpected after our previous escape. What was unexpected was that I couldn't transform any part of my body, and also that we weren't on one of the Lunarian's vessels, but on a wooden ship.

—Welcome aboard —said a women with large purple hair, pirate clothes, and a mask covering her eyes. She was holding a gun and had another on a holster— I'm Rider, do you remember me, sempai?

—Of course he wouldn't remember someone with so little presence as you —said another women, with golden hair tied on twin drills, she was carrying some kind of ceremonial dress that made her look like an ancient priest, more with the golden scepter she was carrying with her—, but I'm sure you remember your fiancé, don't you, Shero?

She got closer to me and waited for an answer that I didn't had.

—Hump! I suppose Franny was telling the truth. Never mind, that just means it is another opportunity for us to fall in love all over again, don't you think?

—C-Caster, could you stop that? —Rider spoke, a bit agitated—, we have a mission, don't we?

—Right, right, Franny told us to use the spear as a lure, and punish Shero if he was so naive to try to go for it without a good plan. I'm not entirely sure that blowing him with a cannonball counts as a fair move, though.

—I-I couldn't hold on, I had wanted to shoot at sempai for so long! —she seemed embarrassed for some reason.

—How vulgar... In any case —Caster looked back at us—, I suppose we can take your friend here back to the moon as the penalty and call it a day, doesn't that sound good?


	19. Puppy

Just after parting ways with Shirou and Ghost, Bort and I went on to fulfill our patrol duty. He gave me some advice, and despite his lack of tact and delicacy, they started to make sense. It made me notice that Bort was really making an effort to find and point weakness in others, not to confront them, but because he cared for them. He just really sucked at expressing this.

—So that's how you see it? —he said with a somewhat nostalgic expression on his face—, Dia hated this kind of interest.

That conversation didn't went further as we soon faced an strange phenomena, a Sunspot overlapping another. From it came a gigantic Lunarian with 6 arms. We tried to fight it, but the only damage we managed to cause him was to cut one of his hands using a surprise attack before he had fully manifested.

Bort made us retreat to the school, using her whistle, as well as the huge bell in front of the school, to make everyone stand in place. Bort's plan was to make the Lunarian follow us to where Sensei was, and have him exterminate it. With everyone away on duty patrol, it would only focus on us. The problem was that I was too heavy and slow, even when he was carrying me, and the Lunarian was almost catching up with us. For a moment I thought Bort was going to use me as bait, but before it was able to catch me, we heard the twang sound of a bow being fired. When we looked back, the Lunarian was gone.

As it turns out, Dia was practicing with the bow in the training ground Shirou had set, and the sound attracted the Lunarian to him. Dia tried to seek help or refugee inside of the school, and the Lunarian followed him. We tried to catch up to him, but with all the hallways and stairs, we couldn't find signs of any of them.

We were eventually joined by Alexi, who pointed us towards where Dia had gone. Apparently he went to the long term recovery facilities thinking Ghost would be there, not knowing that he had gone with Shirou to the sea. Dia got tired of running away and fought the Lunarian with the bow and some arrows he had been holding on at the time, as well with a sword he had picked up from Obsidian's workshop, then trying to fight it bare handed when he ran out of weapons, and even with his shattered stumps once his arms started to break in pieces. But despite his bravery, the Lunarian was too strong to be fought alone, and he ended up shattered to the point he was unable to move any longer.

Bort got there just in time to see Dia being smashed, and with the power of his rage he was able to cut the lunarian in two. This, however, only doubled our problems, as whenever that Lunarian was cut it would just regenerate as two smaller individuals. We keep cutting and cutting, but even with the help of a battle frenzy Alexi, there was no end to it.

We ended up with small fluffy beings that were physically incapable of hurting us and were somewhat manageable, but we still didn't know how to eliminate them for good. We were also not willingly to keep cutting them to see what would happen, as they were too damn adorable. When we had lowered our defenses, all the puppies ran away, and it took everyone, and all day, to gather each and every of them. Or at least we gathered as many as we could before giving up, throwing them all on a cage. We didn't expect them to reform into their big unified form, but that's exactly what they did.

After launching a loud bark, the Lunarian attacked again, taking Jade and Obsidian as hostages. To distract him, I made a very convincing replica of a gem using the alloy on my arms.

—Come —the replica said through the magic of ventriloquism—, I'll be your opponent.

He fell for it and I tried again to direct it to where Sensei was , but the Lunarian was faster than I had expected and caught me, trapping me in its fluffy mane. Sensei arrived there anyways, and the Lunarian leaped towards him. To my surprise, it didn't attack him, instead it gave Sensei his only paw when he extended his hands towards it.

—Sit —Sensei said, and the Lunarian obeyed him. He gave him other commands and he obeyed those too.

I struggled and managed to get my head and arms out of the fur.

—What happened to your arm, Shiro?

—Sensei... —I murmured, my eyes widen.

—Phos? You were there? —Sensei tried to act calm, but he was definitely surprised.

—Yes... uhm... —I paused, unsure of what to say—, how do you know this dog's name?

Sensei eyes widen in shock, but before he could say anything, the so called Shiro started running in circles, making me dizzy, and finally dropping me on the ground with little to not caution. Once I recovered the ability to look and walk straight, I went to where Sensei was, surrounded by the fluffy furry of the Lunarian.

—Sensei, did you know this dog from before? —I asked.

—No, I didn't.

—Then, hearing you call him Shiro was my imagination? —I tried to say, but Sensei eyes had closed— SENSEI, DON'T FALL SLEEP!!

—Sorry, I didn't intend to. This is just too cozy.

—Are you really worried about the name? Or it is because of Shirou? —Jade interrupted.

—Oh? Like that time when Dia thought you had become into a snail? —Rutile said with a little giggle.

—The name isn't the problem, but that Sensei would know it. The dog might be called Phos and it would be the same.

—If you are so interested, why don't you ask him directly? —Jade said, pointing to the Lunarian.

I had nothing to lose except my dignity, so I tried to ask him anything about himself, but the Lunarian could only bark.

—So it is a dog after all —I said to myself, but loud enough to be heard.

—What even is a dog? —Jade asked, and I looked at his as if he was asking me what the ocean was.

—Obviously a dog is... —and I stopped, I had absolutely no idea what a dog was. I knew that this Lunarian was one, and that dogs barked, but that was it.

I tried to ask the others if they didn't though it was strange that Sensei would know the name of a Lunarian, but everyone just changed the topic or said that Sensei must have a reason to know him. I walked out of the school defeated, thinking that maybe I was actually going crazy and imagining things. But the words that Sensei had spoken were so present on my mind. I tried to convince myself that I had misheard or misinterpreted him.

—But if I didn't... those words felt like Sensei was closer to that Lunarian dog than to us... —I felt nauseous just of thinking that, feeling like all the alloy in my body was wriggling around my more solid pieces.

I saw a glint on the dark of the night and approached it with caution, though I already suspected who it was. Cinnabar appeared, and threw me the pair of shoes that Bort lost in our first battle against... Shiro, as well as another of the tiny ones that was probably the hand we cut first.

—This one isn't Bort's —I murmured—, he belongs to Sensei...

I told him that I believed that Sensei was hiding something from us, just realizing when the words got out of my mouth that it has been the same thing that Shirou had told me before winter arrived. Cinnabar told me that he knew about it. A strange relationship between Sensei and the Lunarians, hidden from us. Everyone knew, he said, or at least everyone suspected it. I was the only one naive enough to not have figured it out until then.

—Despite knowing that, everyone decided to trust Sensei, no matter what happens.

—W-what about you?

—I'm still observing. What would you do?

I froze, unable to come up with anything, and he left. I curled into a ball, the alloy inside my body started to erupt from within, leaking it all over the place.

—I... just want to know the truth.

Sensei was our caretaker, we owed him our lives. So why did he lied and hide something so important from us? How could the others just ignore it. I needed to ask Sensei about it, but for some reason just thinking about it made me shiver. Was I afraid of the truth? Should I do like everyone else and just blindly trust him? No, I couldn't do that. But I didn't had the courage to ask Sensei directly. He wouldn't give me a straight answer anyways. Then, the only ones I could ask are--

The tiny Shiro came and lick my face, making my train of thoughts crash, before going away in direction of the school. It was an unrelated thought, but his name made me realize I was not alone.

—Shirou! —I yelled, regaining strength. After all, he was the only other one who had reached the conclusion that there was something off about Sensei but didn't let his suspicious die. If there was someone who I could rely and share these heavy thoughts, it was him. I just had to wait until he returned.

With a more calmed mind, I followed the puppy all the way back to where the rest of himself was, and saw the tiny one jumping to where the big one was missing a hand, and he reformed as such. I only noticed then that Sensei and the other gems had fallen asleep using Shiro as a bed and cushion. That was a pleasantry scenario, and I wanted to jump in and join them, but I couldn't.

My head started hurting, as if I was being impaled by blades. I tried to calm myself down again, but I wasn't able to. How could everyone trust Sensei when he had a secret relation with a Lunarian and lied about it, that's the sort of stuff one is supposed to get angry at, right? At least someone call him out so I know I'm not crazy! But everyone... even Antarc, they all were willing to risk their lives for...

—Phos? —Sensei spoke, and I snapped out of my thoughts again, dropping Bort's shoes to the ground.

Shiro was awoken by the noise, and he shuffled a bit until he rested against Sensei. He put his hand on the dog's head, and he started glowing and becoming dust.

—Is he returning to the moon?

—No, he seems that he has found... —Sensei stopped himself mid sentence, a bit surprised that after all the glowing had vanished, one of the small ones had remained—, it seems like he still has some business to attend before going.

After petting the puppy a bit, he raised his head to look at me.

—How was working with Bort alone?

—Bort possesses vast knowledge and has a good judgment, far more than I had realized —I said, and surprised myself for how cold and detached my voice was. I proposed Sensei that it would be good for everyone to team with Bort at least once.

—And what are you going to do?

—There are some matters I have to find out by myself.


	20. Alone

The following days I went patrolling by myself, hoping to encounter a Lunarian's Sunspot. I wasn't entirely sure what I would gain by doing that, but I had been realizing I didn't know much about them on the first place. Up to the moment where I started to doubt Sensei, I had just moved by the motions, maybe there was something more about them that I had been ignoring. After all, Shiro the dog, who had started to follow me everywhere, wasn't a bad guy. At least when he was on a manageable size. I had even started carrying him around and petting him.

But my waiting was in vain, the Lunarians never showed up, or where already defeated by the time I got there. Every night I returned feeling defeated, and in one instance, my misery did got company. Zircon was having trouble as the new partner of Bort, and sought my advice. As usual, Bort sucked at expressing his thoughts and didn't said anything beside the most necessary to Zircon, which he interpreted as Bort thinking he was worthless. In his desperation, Zircon even considered losing an arm or a leg in an attempt to "grow" like I did, but I quickly stopped his dangerous train of thought.

—Bort is extremely rational and dislikes unnecessary things, or at least what he considers rational and unnecessary. He hates to talk in vain, and he is not going to hold any punches if he doesn't like something. You are fine, you just need to keep going —I said, trying to give a warm smile.

Zircon made a face of disgust and retreated a bit, so I dropped the smile.

—Did you ever think you will end up like that? —Zircon said after a moment, giving a glance to my whole body.

I looked at it myself. My arms showed the green of my original phosphophyllite, with the gold and platinum alloy showing through the never closing cracks on it. The same with my Agate's legs. I had also been pointed by others that whenever I used too much of my alloy the white powder between the cracks on my face would start to fade, revealing them. I had pretty much become accustomed to this, however remembering how I used to be also made me remember when I was innocent and ignorant of all that was hidden from me.

—Of course not, if anything... I'm jealous of my past self.

That conversation didn't went further, but from what I heard, Zircon was able to get along with Bort a bit better. That night, and the following nights I went to the library instead of to my room, and spent until morning trying to find anything that could give me a clue. I was holding to the hope that Shirou will help me once he returned home, but I couldn't just stay doing nothing. However, I wasn't able to find anything relevant, since with Ghost gone, there was no one who could help me find what I was looking for, and I lost a lot of time reading books that had very misleading names.

—Maybe you should talk with the Lunarians directly —I said, laying on the floor while holding Shiro, making a voice to represent what I imagined was in his mind.

That plan was too crazy and dangerous, so I left it was my last resource. But seeing as I wasn't able to get anything about the Lunarians from our common library, I decided to ask Alexi to teach me everything he knew about them. He agreed, and even got Yellow to help us, but everything soon devolved into a quiz test. We stayed up until the next morning, but we didn't make any progress in what I was really interested.

—Alexi, what do you think of the possibility to communicate with the Lunarians? —I said, remembering the idea I had before after seeing Shiro sleep on my lap.

—We don't know anything about their language —Alexi only half awake answered—, the time we engage them is extremely short and our data on them is only superficial.

I expected that much. I looked around, to all the drawings and info Alexi had nailed to his walls. He had even showed me a Sundry, the way a singular Lunarian was called according to him, that he had designed.

—Alexi, do you like the Lunarians? —I asked.

—No. I research them to overcome my physical condition, and also... they took away Chrysoberyl from me. I keep them on my mind every day to keep fresh my hatred.

After that I left her, Yellow, and Shiro sleeping, and went for a walk, trying to clear my thoughts. It was very early in the morning and I was really close to the school, yet a Sunspot manifested itself in front of me. It was an opportunity I couldn't miss. I pushed myself up with the alloy from my heel, but halfway there I realized I hadn't brought my sword. As the arrows started raining upon me, I made a shield with one hand, and with the other I captured one of the Lunarians and brought it to me, surrounding us both with my alloy. I grabbed him by the neck and strangled him.

—Good morning, my name is Phosphophyllite, you might call me Phos —I said in an aggressive tone—, do you understand what I am saying?

—F-Fu —the Lunarian said, but not from his mouth.

I noticed there were tiny holes on his neck that made sounds when air passed through it. It reminds me as the instrument they sometimes played, a flute. I was starting to consider that I could communicate with them by using one of those. To really understand how they could work, I needed to see the interior of their throat, and I turned my finger into a scalpel, preparing myself to vivisect the Lunarian. I was too immersed in that, that I didn't even considered that right then might have not been the best moment to do it.

The Lunarians started shooting arrows and spears covered in fire, and I started feeling the heat after a couple of hits. I tried to ignore it and focus on what I was doing, but it got to the point where I couldn't hold it any longer and retreated the alloy from those sections, leaving my shield full of holes. The Lunarians were ready to attack me again, but fortunately, the Ametysts twins jumped in and swiftly decapitated the central statue. The whole sun spot started to waver and disappear, so I fell backwards still holding the captured Lunarian, which to my surprise didn't disappeared immediately like the rest of them. I managed to use my alloy to cushion the fall and avoid breaking in thousands of pieces.

—Ah —The Lunarian said when I hit the ground, but I thought it might have been a sound caused by his spine breaking or something.

I saw the twins jumping from the dissolving Sunspot, and eighty four had his sword aimed towards the Lunarian I was holding.

—Amethyst, wait! —I tried to say, but his blade was too quick and the Lunarian was promptly eliminated.

—Phos, are you okay? —They asked at the same time.

—Y-yes, you saved me. Thank you very much. —I managed to say, still collecting my thoughts.

—Twin crystal power! —they said and high fived each other, making that annoying reverb sound. 

Just then Shiro jumped over me and started licking my face. The Amethysts told me that the puppy went and "chew" their ankles and ran around them until they followed him to where I was. I thanked him as well, rubbing his tummy.

—We heard it from Jade —Thirty tree said—, you haven't sleep since winter started.

—That's no good, the Lunarians might catch you if you are too tired to protect yourself —Eighty four added—, we'll go and report to Sensei, so get some rest.

I thanked them again and followed them to the school. I told them I was going to go to my room and sleep, but I went back to the library. I looked around, but couldn't find anything on how to make a flute.

—We really need to rearrange this library once Ghost returns —I said to Shiro.

Weirdly enough, I could see the image of a flute clearly on my mind, even how it worked from the inside, despite me being almost sure that the only ones I had seen where the ones that the Lunarians used. Maybe it was an incomplete memory from before I had lost my legs. The idea of asking Sphene crossed my mind, but I didn't want to involve him in these shady businesses of mine. Knowing I would not reach anywhere further on my own, I went back to the cliff where Shirou and I had parted ways, and Shiro the dog tagged along. I didn't return to the school when the night fell, and did the same the following days.

I tried to stand still and stoic, but the puppy didn't stop pestering me, biting my ankle and trying to escalate my body to reach my face. I eventually got tired of it and threw a stick away for him to retrieve, again and again, until he got tired and went to sleep. I took the stick and for some reason it remind me of the flute I had been thinking. I made a knife out of my finger and started cutting bits and pieces until getting the shape of it. The result was pretty decent in my opinion, but I had no idea how to play it. I stayed on the cliff three more days, practicing with the flute, with only Shiro the dog as my company.

Well, to be precise, other gems did passed by, but they were more interested in playing with the dog than in what I was doing, especially Dia who had only seen the "big mean one" as he called it, and hadn't crossed paths with it since then. Rutile and Jade were the only ones that tried to persuade me to come back home, but didn't insist too much after I told them I was busy. I stood there, and the Lunarian puppy never left my side, to the disappointment of the others. After much demand, Red Beryl made stuffed dolls that were identical to it and gave one to everyone. Most of my visitors stopped coming after that, but on the third day, Bort and Zircon came to see me.

—Sensei is calling for you —Bort bluntly said.

—Oh? Sounds important. I'll go then, but could you stay here in case Shirou returns? —I said, lousily getting up and moving aside the branches Shiro had been covering me with.

—About that —Zircon started to say—, that's why Sensei is calling you. Shirou is already at the school.

Without saying another word or waiting for them to say anything more, I started running towards the school, only stopping when I heard the whimpering of Shiro, as he was trying to follow me and was being left behind due to his short stubby and adorable legs. I carried him in my arms and resumed running at full speed. Before knowing I was already at Sensei's door and opened it without even knocking.

He was there, with his clothes made a mess but he was in one piece, moreover, he had his two arms back! He looked at me and smiled, and I did too, starting to "cry" again. I felt so relieved that I was about to jump into his arms, much like Antarc had done to Sensei before, when I noticed there were more people around. For one, Sensei, but that was to be expected, that was his office. Then I noticed a creature perched in Shirou's shoulder, an Admirabilis not entirely different from Ruler's snail form, but with the claws of a crab. When I was able to perceive Ghost's weak presence standing on a corner, I felt a great relief, seeing him cracked but still in one piece. But then my emotions were turned around when I saw the last person in that room.

—W-who are--

—Oh my, you must be Phosphophyllite —she said with a kind smile as she got closer to me. I tried to step back, but I was frozen—, Shero told me much about you, so I hope we can get along. I'm his fiancé, Caster.


	21. Livy

As I recovered my senses, I immediately started coughing water out of my lungs. I felt someone patting my back.

—There, there, get it all out —the voice I identified as Ghost's spoke, and as my coughing fit stopped, I finally was able to confirm she was indeed right next to me.

The last thing I remembered was Rider's ship suddenly sinking into the ocean. Now, we were on some sort of cave, sealed by every side but an entrance submerged in water, forming a lake in front of us. On it rested a gigantic beast, some sort of elongated whale with pincers and arthropod-like legs. It stood looking at us with curiosity, so I deduced that it wasn't our enemy.

—What happened? —I asked—, Caster and Rider had captured us and...

—He saved us —Ghost replied.

—I-I'm Livyatan of the Admirabilis —the beast spoke, in a rather childish voice, but without moving what I thought was its mouth—, it's a ples-pleasure meeting you, lustrous ones.

—An Admirabilis, like Ventricosus?

—Ah! yes... —the creature seemed a bit ashamed and even afraid, despite its monstrous size— W-we are sorry for what our king did, we are very sorry!

I closed my eyes for a moment.

—Don't worry, we aren't mad about it, on the contrary, I'm very thankful that you saved us —I said bowing my head towards her.

—N-no! This is the least I could do as a compensation for what our Ruler did.

—In any case, I'm really grateful that you were there to save us.

—About that... —she said, looking even more embarrassed, having to gather courage to keep talking— I had been following you since you entered the ocean!

—You were? Why?

Ghost tugged me from the shoulder and pointed towards my arm, the one that I had lost before and now was reattached to my body. There were also some shards of diamonds and others from a very familiar green gem, placed on a piece of red cloth that had been torn from my uniform.

—I found your arm while doing patrolling, and I took it to our king. She told me what she did to your people. I-I was overjoyed like the rest when our king and his brother returned, our kingdom has been only a shadow of its former glory after the Lunarians attacked us, and now we could prosper again. But I... I couldn't serve a king who would do such a thing. At least not until I repaid our debt towards us.

The Admirabilis told us that she left her home and went back to the ruins, searching all up until the winter for any gem shard hidden under the sand at the bottom of the sea. She then took them to our island, but when she got to the beach she was too scared to go outside of the water, thinking we would punish her. When she saw us entering the ocean she followed us from a safe distance, looking for a good moment to approach us.

I wasn't entirely sure how such massive creature could do that without us noticing, and I was very curious about her nature, but I had a more important question to ask.

—What happened with Caster, Rider, and the Lunarians that were attacking us?

—Livy blew the Sun spots by throwing streams of water against them, and damaged Rider's ship by pulling it underwater. It returned to the surface once she got us and we ran away, but the sails were pretty messed up. And about Caster...

The Admirabilis finally opened her mouth and from it Caster emerged, covered in saliva, and in utterly shock.

—Gross, gross, gross —she kept saying, until Livy took a sip of the water and shot a stream of it to wash her. Caster was less than grateful.

—You foul creature! How dare you treat me like that?! —she yelled, and the Admirabilis retreated in cowardly. Caster seemed full of herself until she heard me stepping forth.

Ghost seemed a bit worried as she had lost her sickle, moreover I apparently hadn't been carrying my swords since we entered the ocean. She tried to hand me the red spear of Lancer, which had been brought along by Livy, but I insisted on her keeping it.

Despite the appearances, I had my swords with me, or better said within me. The pieces of obsidian started to flow out of my body and get in place, being keep together by my liquid metal. Unlike when I fought Lancer, I reinforced the blade with "magic", a little trick I had been practicing while I recovered.

Caster looked back at us and immediately jumped frightened, but tried to recover her composure and act haughty and fearless.

—You did well by capturing and isolating me, but you are too naive if you think you have me against the corner, for I am the strongest among all of the summoned servants! Drop your weapons right now and I might consider being merciful towards you two.

—If you were so powerful you would have escaped from Livy's mouth easily —Ghost said, pointing the spear towards Caster.

—That's...That's just because I didn't wanted to hurt such a majestic beast —she said, but it was pretty obvious she was lying.

I give a step ahead raising my blades, and she broke down, getting on her knees and covering her head.

—I'M SORRY, I LIED, I SURRENDER, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME, I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

I retracted my swords.

—Get up. To begin with, I didn't had any intention to kill any of you, you were the ones that attacked us —I finally said, sitting on a rock.

Caster raised her head, her eyes still bawling tears.

—Shero... you are so merciful, as expected of my fiancé!

She tried to approach me, but Ghost put the pointy tip of the spear on her way.

—I didn't said I trusted you.

In exchange for letting her live I told her she had to give us information, starting with why they were attacking us on the first place.

—That's due to Franny's plan. That fool woman wants to recreate the Holy Grail War ritual, despite my plan being better.

—The holy grail war? —for some reason, those words sounded familiar to me, and the image of a woman carrying a sword came to my mind for a second.

According to Caster, the ritual was about summoning seven famous spirits from the past to create Servants, and then make them fight to the death until only one of them was alive, and the winner would get a wish granted by the grail. However, the Lunarians and Franny were unable to summon proper spirits from "the throne of heroes" and had to use a damaged alternate source, a black box they found on one of their moons. Because of this, each Servant was made up of several pieces of different original individuals.

—Lancer had the traits of a famous Irish warrior and his immortal teacher, while Rider has a famous pirate and a snake woman inside of her. I am both a powerful witch and an even more powerful and wiser goddess —she pretentiously said— I don't know much about the others.

—If that's the case, why are you so weak? —Ghost said, not showing any mercy towards Caster's ego. By the slightly change of her posture and tone of voice, I thought this was her "other self" speaking.

—I'm not weak! I wasn't just bragging when I said I was the strongest of all! —she replied with frustration on her face. She took a moment to regain her composure after that outburst—, but I was the third one being summoned and they hadn't refined all the details. I... don't remember how to use my magic...

Caster proceeded to told us some other things about the grail, the other servants, that person called "Franny", and even about the Lunarians, but she was lacking on the details. When I confronted her about this, she told us she had been kept confined most of her time on the moon to a room, so her information was very limited. She had only interacted with Rider and Lancer as they were her roommates, so she didn't knew much about the other servants. She had only seen Lunarians from a distance through a window or down from her balcony. And about Franny, she only told us to never trust or even listen to her words. Something that Caster had told us was bothering me, but I was trying to ignore it. Even when Ghost noticed and asked me if I wanted to talk about it, I told her I was fine. On this travel I had get to know her well enough, but if there was someone I could trust to talk about this, it had to be Phos.

After all that, it was decided we would take Caster back home, where we would see what to do with her, and asked Livy to take us there. The Admirabilis agreed, saying that she would follow us until she had repaid the debt her race inflicted upon us, although I repeated that it wasn't necessary. Caster seemed a bit more than distraught to have to travel again inside Livy's mouth, but as I, she couldn't hold her breath like the other gems. Ghost was the only one who could ride on her back while underwater, though she was also the only one who didn't mind getting slimy with Livy's saliva.

Rider had moved us quite a while when we had been on her boat, and Livy had moved even further to avoid her and get to her "secret hiding place", so it took us some time to get back, more when we were actively trying to avoid meeting with Rider. I think Livy actually got lost at some point, but we eventually returned home. We arrived at the beach where the fight against Lancer had started, and by coincidence, we found Rutile looking among the minerals spread on the sand. Her face when she saw us emerge from the mouth of Livy was priceless.

As we step on dry land and explained what had happened to her, the body of the Admirabilis started to evaporate, quickly leaving only bones that became dust with the breeze. From the sea, a tiny slug with pincers appeared.

—I-I'm ready to go —Livy's voice came from the tiny creature, and I extended my hand so that she could climb to it.

—Wait, did that thing spoke? —Rutile asked, as if that was weird at all.


	22. Archer

While Shirou and his merry company related their adventures to Sensei, I stood next to the door, with my back against the wall and my eyes fixated on the ground. I was hugging Shiro the dog, who was strangely restless. I was... out of myself. I wanted to be angry or sad or anything, but seeing Caster there had shocked me too much.

I had lost the start of their tale, but Ghost later filled me in. They had been captured by Rider and Caster, allies of the already defeated Lancer, and most importantly, of the Lunarians. They wanted to give Shirou a penalty for letting himself be captured so easily, and that meant they were going to take Ghost back to the moon with them. Before they could, they were saved by the Admirabilis, who also managed to damage Rider's ship.

—I'm one of the w-warrior caste of the Admirabilis, Livyathan —the crab-like slug mounted over Shiro's head said, bowing his head towards Sensei and then towards me. Apparently being a warrior allowed it to speak our language, so I didn't had to act as their translator this time.

It was somehow weird to see one of their people acting humble, I had though every one of their race would be like Ruler. The creature noticed the intense glare that Sensei had towards it and started shivering and sweating.

—W-we are very sorry for what our king did against your kind, please have mercy, oh lustrous one! —he said, covering his head with his claws.

Sensei closed his eyes for a moment, surely thinking deeply about the matter. Or maybe he fell asleep for a moment.

—While the aggression that the ruler of shell committed against us cannot be overlooked —Sensei finally said—, you as an individual aided and protected Shirou and Ghost, and for that, I'm personally grateful. So we shall allow you to remain here safely for as long as you might please, however, I must ask Shirou to maintain you under his vigilance.

Shirou nodded and gave the snail a pat on its head.

—Why did you saved them? —I asked, again surprising myself how cold I sounded. I covered my face and rethought my words— No, I mean, why where you right there and then to save them?

Shirou raised his arm, the one that he had been missing since our first adventure under the sea, and told us that the snail found it and wanted to return it to him, as well as some shards Dia and I lost that day.

—I don't think those will be enough to replace your legs, I'm so sorry I couldn't find more.

—The rest was probably taken to the moon, don't worry about it —I was mildly conmoved by the snail's words—. But to pull a whole ship under the sea, you must be pretty strong. Even Ruler's brother would have problems to pull that out in his truly true form.

—Truly true? —the Admirabilis didn't seem to know what I was talking about for a moment— Ah! no, his majesty is way stronger than I, but I was using my warrior form.

Ghost attempted to describe it, but he didn't seem to know the exact words to do it. Shirou just pointed to the tiny slug.

—Just like that, but a lot bigger and looking less squishy —he said.

That mental image reminded me of how Ruler and his brother looked the first time we met.

—I thought you could only grow that big by being given sweetened water or something.

—T-that's true for most of the Admirabilis, but the warrior caste can change its form at will. We can even do it above the sea, as long as we have enough water at our disposal of course.

To demonstrate his point, the slug scurried to the floor and then to a container with a glowing jellyfish on it, to whom he asked permission to take some water before proceeding. He started inflating as if he was a sponge and took on a more familiar shape, two legs, two arms, a torso, and a head. He was still barely big enough to reach my hip. His skin looked smooth and gelatinous like Ruler's, although he looked a lot more simplistic and with less frills, and he didn't look vulgar at all. After a couple of seconds he started to release water vapor and returned to his slug-like shape, and he seemed very tired.

—That was my humanoid shape... I could hold it for longer if I had more water, but I didn't want to take all of Mr. Jellyfish's water. My warrior shape is too big and requires lots of water, so I can't transform into it right now. Please forgive me.

—Well, that explains that, but...

—There is still another matter to discuss, isn't it? —Caster said, smiling— "why is one of our enemies standing next to us as if there was nothing wrong with it?" is what you are surely thinking. Well, allow me to quench your curiosity and tell you the story, as it is full of passion, love, intrigues and traged-

—Livy grabbed him by accident when he saved us —Ghost said in a deadpan manner.

Caster looked like he had turned into a statue, and his forehead actually cracked. Despite him smiling, his expression was very scary looking. Ghost didn't seem fazed up by this, but he still "ran away" and hid behind me.

—Protect me from the witch, Phos-sama~ —he said, with an obviously faked panicky voice.

—You little... I'm not a witch, at least not entirely. Call me a scary goddess if you must!

—W-what? —I was deeply confused, not knowing why Ghost and Shirou weren't even a bit preoccupied with making the enemy in front of them angry. 

After a moment, Shirou finally gave me an explanation.

—Caster is harmless. She is a very strong magic user, but she doesn't remember how to use her magic.

—That's not true! I made the chains that captured you! —Caster pouted— I just need to practice a bit more and then I will be able to use my full potential.

—Sure, sure, meanwhile let's get along.

They had taken pity of Caster, and decided to leave him live when he started to bawl his eyes and beg to them to not kill him.

—But he is still our enemy, they attacked us without reason...

—You are wrong on both of those statements —Caster said in a pompous way— I have decided to side with Shero and be her wife. I never really liked the ideas of Franny, and if I recover even a quarter of my magic, I would be able to beat her easily. And they have a reason for attacking Shero, albeit it is a stupid one. Franny is attempting to recreate the Holy Grail war.

—The Holy Grail war?

—It is a ritual of ancient times, seven heroic spirits summoned on artificial bodies and made to fight each other. Aside from me, the defeated Lancer, and Rider, there is Assassin, Berserker, and Saber.

Shiro the dog started moving a lot and managed to get out of my grip, jumping into Shirou's arm and trying to lick his face.

—Those were only six...

Caster didn't seem to have heard me, instead he was entranced petting the dog.

—Aww, you missed Shero so much, didn't you? You two used to play a lot back home, yes, you did!

—W-what do you mean? —I said, actually not wanting to hear the answer.

—The Archer, who was made on the moon alongside the rest of us, is no one else but Shero.


	23. Inheritance

I opened my eyes and found myself on the infirmary, not entirely sure how I go there. I got up and sit in the table, still too dizzy to walk or even open my eyes for longer than a few seconds.

—Are you alright, Phos? We were really worried —I heard the voice of Ghost said and I turned to find her lying on the other table. Rutile was putting her arm back on its place. She was still missing a leg and half of her other arm, as well as part of her face.

—What happened? Who did this to you? —I said jumping out of the table, my mind suddenly cleared as I tried to remember where was I before I blacked out—, did Caster attacked us by surprise?

—No, well...

—How rude to accuse people when they aren't around —Caster said as she entered the room, followed by Jade. They were carrying all of Ghost's missing pieces—, in any case, if it had been me, there wouldn't have been survivors.

—Then... who did it?

Ghost looked away.

—It was you who broke her —Rutile said, straight to the point.

—Eh?? —That was ridiculous, there was no reason why I would have attacked her. "It must be a trick of Caster" I thought, but the memories started to return to me.

When Caster said that Shirou was the Archer the Lunarians created, everything that I had been holding back came down without me being able to stop it, the exact opposite of the relief I felt when I saw him awake after the attack from Lancer.

An image of the few seconds I experienced before blacking out came to me. I went running to Sensei's room, where he and Euclase were still cleaning the mess. The door was destroyed, and there were lots of holes on the walls and the floor, except on a circle around the desk. Just like I had remembered, when I lost control, blades started coming out of the alloy in my body. Shirou used his shield to protect everyone in front of me, but Ghost had gone behind me just moments before and was hit by full force of it. I feel to my knees, my hands were trembling. I saw Sensei approaching me and closed my eyes and prepared myself to receive a verbal reprimand with enough force to blow even my reinforced body to pieces. Instead, he put his hand on my chin and made me raise my head.

—It wasn't your fault, Phosphophyllite. Even I was shaken when I heard what Caster said.

I feel a bit of relief, and for an instant I forget all the doubts I had over Sensei's integrity, or at least I wanted to do it. I really wanted to. I wanted to stop thinking about it, and just believe whatever he said. But when he extended his hand to help me get up, someone else launched himself against me, almost making my back crack, and surrounded me with his arms.

—I'm not mad at you, Phos —It was Ghost's voice, and just hearing that made me start to cry—, even if you lose control and break me again, I won't get mad at you.

I didn't know what to say. The affection she had towards me had to come from her projecting the image of her dear Lapis Lazuli on me, I hadn't done anything for her to value me so much, if anything I was wasting the eyes she had lend me. Yet, I felt a guilty relief for having someone like her at my side.

—Thank you, Ghost. To both of you.

—Oh? Did you noticed it? —Ghost let go and helped me got up.

—Notice what?

—Ghost Quartz is a double structure gem —Sensei explained—, there is another person inside of him.

—Sometimes he takes control of our body and does impulsive things —Ghost added, slightly embarrassed— He had taken a liking in teasing Caster recently.

I felt like I already knew about Ghost's other self, but I couldn't remember how I knew about it—, did you told me about it before?

—I didn't. It is something that only Sensei and Lapis knew about.

I put my hands on my forehead, while trying to decipher how I knew about it, but I couldn't come out with anything. Instead, Ghost proposed that Lapis' eyes had allowed me to notice whenever the subtle changes in his personality and body language when the other person took control over his body, putting the idea in my mind without me realizing it. That sounded logical enough for me to believe it.

Sensei put his hand over my head and I told him I was feeling better. At that time, Rutile and Jade appeared, the former very angry about Ghost leaving the infirmary when she hadn't finished fixing her. After he put the missing pieces, a few shards and a hand, Sensei asked me and the others to get everyone together as Caster had something to say to all of us about the other "servants" made on the moon like her.

—Shall we go for Shirou then? —Ghost asked me.

After a moment I nodded. I wasn't entirely sure what to make out of Caster's words, if Shirou was made on the moon, did that make him a Lunarian? Did he knew about it all the time he was with us? Was him the same as Sensei, hiding the truth and playing with our destinies? I needed to talk with him.

Ghost took me to where he was, sitting in front of the pond, with his back to where we were. Shiro the puppy was running around until he saw me, immediately changing his direction towards me and jumping into my arms. Shirou noticed the lack of barks and looked back.

—Ah, Phos, good... —he started to say with a smile, but couldn't finish his usual greeting, he looked away immediately— I'm sorry... I should have said it to you before...

We stayed there in silence until I managed to speak up my mind.

—Shirou. Are you a Lunarian?

I saw him clenching his fist.

—I don't know. Caster told me the Lunarians made us by merging the spirits of humans that lived long ago in bodies created artificially. Spirits... it sounds a lot how Ventricosus described the Lunarians. I also kept that as a secret from you, I never forgot our encounter with her, or what she told us. I'm sorry for that. I started to doubt Adamant because of how he reacted when you said that word, humans. But at the end... I'm worst than him, aren't I?

I didn't know what to think about it, there was just simply too much information to process. My head hurt and I felt like I couldn't breathe. The shock wasn't quite as strong, so I didn't felt like I was to explode again, but I felt as if I was being grinded. Then I felt a hand holding mine. Ghost was there, right next to me. I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. Ghost was an important person to me, and Shirou had kept her safe during their trip underwater. He also saved Antarc, and he helped me when we went to rescue Dia from Ruler and the Lunarians, and he made those bells for Cinnabar before winter so he wasn't taken when she was hibernating. The person in front of me was the one we found in the beach almost a year ago, he fought alongside us, we spent our lazy time together, he made weird trinkets for us, and he cared for us. He was my best friend.

—You are one of us —I said without doubt, but I wasn't satisfied with just that. I went to where he was and made him get up and see my face —, you are one of us, got it?

Shiro the puppy was biting my ankle, and I picked it up from the ground, not entirely sure when I had let go of him.

—Even if you were a Lunarian, you are one of us, just like this small guy.

—I still can't ever make it up for what I did to you...

—Eh? Why? What happened?

Shirou looked away and didn't said anything, but Ghost threw me a glare.

—You can be very dense, Phos —she said, just confusing me more than how I was before.

—Earlier, when you heard the... truth about me, blades started to sprout out of your body. If they had been just pikes that would have been one thing, but each was a unique sword, and I was able to recognize all of them.

The iron in his hand started to form blade after blade, each with an unique design, and weirdly enough, I too felt like I knew them. 

—Those blades don't exist in this world anymore, only on my mind. They are some of the memories I have been carrying unknowingly from a life I had a long time ago.

—Then... how did I know them too? 

—I think it was the gold and platinum alloy —he said—, we tried to use it to replace my arm, and then it started to move on its own. It must have taken something from me, and now that is a part of you.

I looked at my arms, focusing on the alloy between the cracked pieces of my original Phosphophyllite. I also looked at the puppy I was holding, and figured that I knew what a puppy was probably because it had been something that Shirou knew from his former life. 

—So I have your inclusions within me?

—Not only his "inclusions" —Caster said, revealing herself from behind a pillar. She really liked being dramatic—, but also part of his "soul".

—His soul?

—Yes, the spirit thing Shero mentioned before. His very essence lives within you. There also seems to be some of the "flesh" trait, I wonder how you got that. 

I must have had a confused look on my face, because Caster smiled haughty and proceeded to explain further on the topic.

—The humans that lived long ago in this world died out, but left three descendants, each with a specific trait. The Admirabilis' flesh allows them to change their form and makes their bodies fluid. Your people, the Lustrous, have the bone, which make you immortal and durable. And then the ones who inherited the soul trait became spirits and fled to the moon.

—The Lunarians... are they related to us?

—Yes —Shirou said—, that might be what Adamant has been hiding from us and the reason he didn't like us to find out about the humans.

I felt a bit guilty for suspecting him, but it was still an unconfirmed hypothesis. And even if that was the reason and he was trying to protect us, he should still have told us. It would have hurt to know the ones hunting us were our relatives, but still...

—I see, I understand everything a bit better —Ghost said, and I jumped from the surprise.

Despite her still holding my hand, her weak presence had made me talk without any sort of caution, when the whole "suspecting Sensei" was supposed to be a secret. I thought she would start despising me for thinking badly about our beloved caretaker, but she didn't even let go of my hand. We discussed a bit more about the issue, and Shirou told me he had been feeling guilty for "tainting" me, but I wasn't really mad at him. I wasn't entirely sure how could it affect me to have part of Shirou's soul inside of me, aside from inheriting some of his memories. Would that make me technically a Lunarian? I didn't know, and it was a bit scary, but I told him and Ghost that as long as I had them at my side, I could manage it somehow.

—Phos, Sensei and the others should be waiting for us already —Ghost said when she remembered our original objective.

—That's right, we should go! —I said and turned away, but Shirou stopped me.

—Phos, wait. I want you to have this —he said, handing me the red spear that had belonged to Lancer.

—Eh? Why?

—I am on your side as you said, but the Lunarians made this body and they could have done something to it. I need you to have this in case you ever need it, to protect yourself and the others if I'm ever unable to do it.

After a few moments of doubts, I nodded and took the spear. As we started to go to our meeting hall, I heard him call the Admirabilis, who had been swimming on the pond all along. The jellyfish hadn't attacked her as they did to Ruler, probably due to his polite nature. 

—Sorry for arriving late —I said when we arrive to our meeting hall, and everyone looked at us. Most of our brothers became surprised or scared, except Bort who just put his hand over the hilt of his sword. It took me a couple of seconds to remember that for many of them, it was the first time seeing Caster.


	24. Removal

After the initial shock, Caster was introduced by Adamant to the rest of us, and she started to relate the information she had agreed to exchange in place for protection, in the most over the top way possible. Phos and I sat a bit far away, since we already knew most of what she had to say. Caster told them about the Holy Grail War ritual, including the fact that I was one of the "summoned servants" who were meant to fight for it. They took that pretty well, or at least didn't seem shocked by the revelation as Phos was.

—And the last Servant alive can ask anything they wish for to the grail —Caster added.

—Any wish? —Alexi asked.

—Could we ask for the return of our brothers that were taken to the moon? —Yellow asked.

—And that the Lunarians will stop attacking us? —Jade asked.

Rutile seemed to have wanted to ask something, but keep it to herself.

—Of course, all of that would be possible —Caster replied, crossing her arms—, but if you were to use that method, even after defeating all of the other servants, either Shirou or me should be sacrificed to fulfill the requirements. And you will only get one wish. However, HOWEVER, there is an alternative! For I was made from the souls of a powerful witch and an even more powerful and wiser goddesses. Fulfilling those wishes of yours shouldn't be a problem for me... once I return to my peak.

—How long would that take? —Bort said with an intimidating tone, and Caster made herself a bit smaller in response.

—Ahaha, well, you see... maybe... at best... around 500 years... —Caster replied sheepishly.

She closed her eyes and braced herself, as if she was expecting a reprimand. Instead, Bort nodded.

—That sounds reasonable. We'll protect you until then.

Caster still didn't move for a couple of seconds, not fully believing what Bort had said. For her who had probably lived only as long as I had, that sounded like a lot of time, but for the majority of them it was like a small price if it meant we could bring back their fallen comrades and live without having to worry about the Lunarians. They keep asking Caster about what kinds of things she could do once she recovered her magic, and she proceeded to amaze them with extraordinary tales and descriptions. Euclase had to steer the conversation back to what mattered, and Caster continued to her discourse, until she told them everything she had told us before.

However, I noticed that she avoided mentioning anything about humans and the connection between the three races this time. This seemed suspicious as she had talked about them without any worry before, but not after she was left alone with Adamant, after Phos broke Ghost. She also mentioned that Rider will probably try to "rescue" her, once she realized we weren't under the sea anymore. She warned us that while there were others who were stronger than her, Rider's noble phantasm was extremely dangerous. She had then to explain to them that a noble phantasm was the special weapon or technique of each servant, in more eloquent words.

—But don't worry about it, for you now have the goddess of victory and wisdom at your side! —Caster haughtily said.

Dia raised her hand.

—Excuse me, wasn't Rider your friend? Isn't there any way to convince him and the rest to join us too?

—Hmmm, I'm afraid that would be impossible —Caster answered after thinking about it for a moment—, I can't speak for those who I didn't get to know, but Lancer and Rider seemed to have been designed to care about the Holy Grail War before even their own interest or self preservation. That was probably because Shirou and I showed some independent thoughts. It is safe to assume the rest was made the same way. Trying to get them to stop and join our side will be near impossible.

After that, Jade and Euclase were assigned to keep an eye on Caster, since they were usually not on patrol duty, and Caster find it safer to stay inside the school. Phos took me by the hand as soon as the meeting was over and directed me to the library, with Ghost following closely. The Lunarian dog and Livy tagged along.

—I told you already that you are one of us, and I trust you —Phos said to me, after closing the door—, but I have some questions. First of all, what do you remember about your former life as a human?

I could only remember things without context, like some sort of encyclopedia where each article wasn't connected to any of the others and full of missing pages. The things I remember best were a myriad of swords, each with a unique design and abilities. What I remember worse were people faces, only a handful were more than smudges on my mind, with some of them resembling those of Lancer, Caster and Rider. I related this to Phos.

—So Franny is using familiar faces to attack you, either to try to hurt you emotionally or to make you doubt and have an advantage —Phos said.

—If that's the case, she is wasting her time —I replied—, I was surprised and somewhat nostalgic when I saw them, and I wouldn't have fought them if they hadn't attacked us, but I didn't feel anything strong enough to make me stop. I don't think I inherited the feelings my former self might have had for them.

—You are a cold one, Shirou —Ghost said, and I couldn't disagree entirely.

—Well then, what about the time you spent on the moon? Do you remember anything about that? Or how did you ended up on the beach that day we found you?

—I don't remember anything about that. The first thing I saw was when you woke me up —I answered.

I hadn't thought about it, but now that she had mentioned it, it started to bother me. Could I have been launched from the moon? With what purpose? And why did I lose my memories if Caster and the rest kept theirs. We agreed we would have to ask Caster about it next time.

—Then, final question. What do you think of Sensei?

I stopped to think about it.

—I still don't think he meant us harm, but I can't trust him, even if he has reasons to keep information hidden from you —I said, and explained my recently found doubts about Caster hiding things after she was alone with Adamant—, I don't think we can trust Caster blindly either.

—I agree —she said in a calm and a bit disheartened tone. She opened her mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by a series of loud noises. Through the window, we saw a very peculiar scene developing, Zircon was pursuing Bort with brushes, and even when she defended herself with her sword and her sharp hair, the young gem was relentless. I was utterly confused.

Apparently, in the few days I had been gone, she had been assigned to be Bort's partner, and went from being terrified of her, to become very proactive in their relationship. Others gems who were returning from patrolling duties joined as spectators, cheering for Zircon. I saw Phos draw a slight smile on her face at the sight of such wholesome scene, until Adamant appeared. Her face turned grim as soon as he entered her field of vision.

—I was his personal assistant, I thought I knew him better than anyone else, but I can't tell if he is being honest or lying, I can't read his face or intentions at all —she said, and looked at me, burrowing her eyebrows—. With you, at least I get a feeling that something is wrong when you hide something or lie about it, and you talk if you are confronted, but that's impossible for Sensei. He ignores the questions, or just outright lies about it. I don't know if he cares about us or if he just acts without any meaning... —Phos said in a very somber tone, and then looked around to the corner where Ghost had been petting the puppy—, what do you think, Ghost?

—Mmmh, are you sure I should be hearing about this kind of conspiracy talks? I could tell everything to Sensei and the rest.

—You already have heard enough, and we could be talking in front of him and he wouldn't particularly care about it... But please don't tell Bort or Jade, they could take the situation in their own hands and it will become a mess. In any case, I do trust you and I would like to hear your opinion. Shirou and I could be biased, we need someone impartial.

Ghost smiled.

—I can't assure my impartiality, but I'll try to give my honest opinion. I don't particularly care about Sensei's hidden connection with the Lunarians, there must be a reason for it and there must be a reason for him to hide it in the first place. That's what I think. However, long ago, Lapis had the same doubts about Sensei that you have now. At least, I presume he had them, he never spoke to me about it. He kept it all to himself, but I could tell. So, the fact that you have put your thrust on me makes me really happy. I'll be your ally and help you in any way you would need, even if I don't share your doubts.

Phos was shaking after that, and looked away.

—T-thank you... —she managed to say.

Ghost got closer to Phos, attempting to embrace her, but we were interrupted again.

—SENSEI! SENSEI! —we heard Morga yell as she approached— Big problem!!

—There is a Lunarian Sunspot coming in this direction —Goshe added— it kept ignoring us and flying too high for us to reach it.

—There is another one coming from the south! —Benito said, arriving just then.

Bort grabbed Zircon, and after spinning her a couple of times, she threw her upwards.

—Another is coming from the northeast, the three are approaching at the same speed and- AHHHHHHHHH!! —she lost her cool as soon as she started falling, but Bort did catch her without cracking her.

We went outside as fast as we could, but by the time we reach everyone, the Sunspots were right in front of them.

—Everyone stay behind me —Adamant said.

—Those Lunarians are idiots for coming directly to our doorste —Zircon was saying, but stopped suddenly. I tried to turn my head to where she was, but find myself unable to move. Everyone in my line of sight looked as if they were paralyzed.

—That's the effect of one of Rider's Noble Phantasm, Gorgon's Eyes —Caster said, calmly walking between us.

The Sunspots approached the earth, and two huge Lunarians jumped from it, one carrying Rider in his shoulder. She wasn't covering her eyes this time.

—Caster, are you alright? We came to save you.

—I appreciate the thought —Caster replied—, but I have decided to ally with them instead.

—Hmmm, is that so? Franny said you could say something like that...

—I suppose you are going to attack us now, aren't you?

—Yes, I'm sorry. I'll try not to hit you directly. If we recover you in more or less one piece, Franny can fix you. Or would you rather me destroy you right now?

—Whichever way it is fine by me, but can I ask you something before? If I were to tell you I could fulfill your wish if you ally with us, would you believe me?

—Of course, you would never play with something like that. And you are a powerful mage, so if you say it, I'm sure you could fulfill such promise.

—But even If I were to tell you that... you would still rather keep the grail war going on?

—Yes. I have a duty to fulfill, that comes before any of my own interests.

—I expected that, so I wouldn't ask. Very well, let's the fight begin.

Rider gave a signal, and all the Lunarians above their sunspots aimed their bows toward us. We were still unable to move, and we all knew Caster was unable to use her magic, so we were about to be massacred unless a miracle happened. 

And it did happen, I found myself able to move. I was able to cast a three layered Rho Aias above us just in time to stop the rain of arrows. Everyone else was also able to move, and those who had their weapons prepared for the battle. Rider looked confused.

—H-how? —was the only thing she was able to muster.

—I'm unable to use my magic, that's true —Caster said, raising her staff—, but I never said I was unable to use my Noble Phantasm. It's still just a shade of its former glory, but I was able to remove the curse I placed upon you so long ago.

—You are... —Rider's expression turned into anger for a moment, she almost seemed like another person, but she shook her head and went back to her aloof smile— I guess I'll have to do things the hard way, my goddess —she added, before the big Lunarian threw her into the sky—, come forth, Golden Wild Hunt!

I heard the sound of a gunshot, and from out of nowhere, her ship appeared among the Lunarian's Sunspots, and stayed floating on the sky. To make things worse, two slightly smaller ships materialized after the first one, and the three of them aimed their cannons against us.


	25. Erosion

The rain of arrows hit Shirou's shield and bounced off or broke into pieces, to the relief of everyone under its protection. Sensei started walking away from the rest of us and into the danger, as if he didn't care about it. I knew he was unbreakable, but that was still too dangerous, so I instinctively followed him, covering both of us with my alloy. The Lunarians, however, were too focused on shooting to where the others were to pay attention to us. I stayed close to him even then, I was going to take that opportunity to look at him closely and very carefully, and figure his true intentions. 

Before Shirou arrived, Sensei had been the only one of us who could do a ranged attack, he was able to dissipate multiple Lunarian's vessels with just some movements from his hands. The old innocent and fool me had never even questioned how he was able to do so, it was just something that was within his abilities. The new me, however, couldn't tolerate not knowing. I started theorizing how he could do it and came out with a lot of possible explanations, from him being able to control the wind to some sort of magic. What I found that day was that his methods were rather mundane. He had tried to hid it from me, but I was still able to see him cracking some really small shards out of his own arms, ready to throw them against the Lunarians as a cloud of sharp dust.

—S-Sensei, all this time, have you been...

He stopped me, putting his finger against his lips.

—We'll talk about it later —he said, as he opened the palm of his hand, and the shards were carried away by the wind. 

The cloud went directly against the Lunarian's vessels, but the floating ships blocked it, suffering only barely noticeable damage. Their wood-like hulls were definitively more resistant than the fluffy texture of the Sunspots.

—You two, come back here!—Caster yelled from below the shield, her voice was so commanding not even Sensei opposed—, Rider is about to use her main attack, Phos, use your alloy to reinforce Shero's shield, everyone else get as close to the ground as possible!

I made several "support post" with my alloy between the shield and the ground, Shirou added another layer to it, and even Sensei helped by holding it with his own hands, though he stopped anyone else from doing it to.

Just then, the shield was hit with beams of energy and cannonballs that were being shot from the floating ships. Every impact made the shield vibrate and that was transmitted to my alloy, almost making me break into pieces. The sheer force of the attack was enough to sink Sensei's feet into the ground a couple of inches, and I'm pretty sure that if he hadn't been holding it, the attack might have squashed us all without having to break the shield. That being said, the barrage had been strong enough to break three of the four layers.

When the attack stopped, the shield disintegrated instantly. Shirou looked exhausted after holding it for that long, yet he still tried to create a new one immediately afterwards. I went ahead before he could and protected everyone with my still vibrating alloy.

—Thanks, Phos, but that won't hold against Rider's attack —Shirou said trying to take over, but Caster stopped him and told him to regain his breath.

—Rider can't use that barrage so frequently, each of her cannons has a different cool down time, so she needs to wait at least two minutes to attack us with everything she has again. Before that happens, everyone has to disperse so she is forced to use them separately. Keep moving so that she can't aim, even one cannonball can blew you to pieces. Dispose of the Lunarian's archers if you can. Phos and Sensei, I'll leave you those two big ones. Shero, come with me, we'll deal with Rider.

Caster said all of that with a very imposing voice, and everyone was already moving before I could react. I wasn't entirely sure of leaving Shirou go with her alone to where the main enemy was, moreover when Shirou could probably destroy those ship from the ground, But without Caster's intervention, the Lunarians would have captured all of us already, so I decided to trust her this time.

Shirou held Caster in his arms and jumped to the closest ship to the ground, which wasn't the one where Rider was, but was a good step towards her. The rest did as Caster had told them, those with weapons started to look for opportunities to disperse the Lunarians, while the unarmed ones went back to the school to look for their swords. I firmly held the spear that had been entrusted to me and followed Sensei as he approached those two big Lunarians. They looked a bit like Shiro's huge form, but they were way smaller than him, yet bigger than the old fashioned Lunarian we were so accustomed to see.

I wondered whether Alexi would become berserker after seeing them, or would be too obsessed recording their data to lose his mind. He was, after all, the only one who was still inside the school, after we had "asked" him to take care of the puppy and the Admirabilis when we crossed paths on our way out. One of the new type of Lunarian, which I will dub as Generals, was carrying a Vajra in each hand, while the other one had knuckle brasses. I was sure that the knowledge I had of those weapons came from the part of Shirou's soul that was within me.

Once we were close enough, Sensei tried to disperse them again by shattering tiny bits of himself and throwing them against the Generals. They were rather quick, though, and managed to avoid the attack for the most part, the one who was carrying the vajras lost an arm. He was pretty determined, as even after losing a limb he didn't seem bothered by it, instead he held his second weapon with his teeth. Then I saw Sensei readying himself to attack once again, breaking even more parts of himself.

—STOP! —I yelled, and he froze, his face was showing traces of surprise—, I'll deal with them, there is no reason for you to keep hurting yourself.

—Phos...

I stood in front of him, unsure of why I was being so overprotective of him suddenly. After deliberating it with myself for a few seconds, I arrived to the simplistic conclusion that while I was still mad at him, I didn't want him to be hurt. The Lunarian generals jumped to attack me almost immediately, and I replied in kind, blocking the first one with the spear, and then pushing its head against the chest of the second one. He managed to block and repel it, making me lost my balance and leaving me open to an attack. The first one took advantage of it and tried to punch me with his knuckles. Just before he could, I remembered the spear wasn't my only weapon, and I pierced him straight through his chest by shooting alloy through the heel of my shoe. That wasn't enough to dissipate him, but was enough to stop him for an instant.

—I'll leave it to you —I murmured, as Ghost jumped from behind me and used his scythe to decapitate the Lunarian, and he become dust after a second.

The other General stood still for a moment, his face not moving at all, but I was sure he was surprised. Ghost had been able to hide his presence even from the enemy, but I was sure he would be behind me. Before the Lunarian could recover, Ghost and I went to the offensive, dodging the arrows that flew against us every so often and parrying the attacks the General launched. We had him cornered and about to be dispatched, but he was still able to block every attack that would finish him.

I finally saw an opening and tried to pierce his chest with the spear, but there was a loud explosion and the earth shook vigorously, making me lose my target. I still pierced him in the shoulder of his remaining arm, but the blast pushed me away from him, and threw the spear away from my hands. When I stopped rolling in the ground, I looked up and realized that the cannons had started shooting again, this time in several directions. The field in front of me was covered in smoke, and I started to worry about my brothers. As Caster had suggested, dispersing was the best strategy for this situation, but these attacks were in another league compared with the arrows of the Lunarians.

I snapped out of my thoughts and saw a ship approaching us, aiming its frontal cannons right at me. I wasn't too worried until I realized Ghost was lying at my side, still unaware of the danger that was looming over us. Immediately I let the alloy flow out of my body, trying to create a shield around both of me and Ghost, but I was sure of two things; there wasn't enough time to cover us entirely, and even if I was able to do so, my alloy couldn't stand even one shoot from it. Just as I saw a cannonball being shoot against us, something black surrounded and protected us from the attack. The explosion was still strong enough to throw us away, tumbling and rolling in the ground with enough force to start chipping parts of me.

When we finally stopped rolling, I was relief to see Ghost had been mostly protected inside my alloy, though one of his arms had still come off. My leg had also broken in three places, but I managed to pull it together when I retrieved the alloy. It was only then when I realized that it had been Sensei who protected us from the cannonball, taking the impact directly against his back.

—S-sensei, why...

—Are you two alright? —He asked, with that stupid face I wasn't able to read, and smoke still coming from his damaged robe.

—Sensei, watch out! —Ghost yelled, pointing to the ship that was already preparing to attack us again.

He turned around and for an instant, I thought I saw cracks in his back through the holes on his robe. He was Adamant Sensei, the unbreakable. That's the mental image I had of him until then. The idea that only one of those attacks could actually hurt Sensei froze me, and I started to shiver and felt short of breath.

—Don't hurt him... —I heard myself saying, and somewhat I managed to stand up. I extended my arm towards Sensei, trying to reach him, but he was too far and I couldn't move my legs at all. I saw my alloy dripping from my arm, as well as for every crack in my body, even covering one of my eyes. My whole arm broke into pieces only held together by the alloy, and contorted into weird shapes as I tried to control it and grab Sensei. Maybe if I pushed him away, only I had to be broken. Maybe If I engulfed him, I could protect him and keep him safe. I felt someone holding me and trying to pull me away, but I stood there, I needed to protect him. I needed to at least reach him. My ears were ringing, but I thought I heard someone saying something far away.

Just before I was able to reach Sensei, there was a loud explosion, but it wasn't from the cannons shooting. It had been the ship in front of us, which had broken in half and started burning. The gunpowder and other explosives it must had contained started exploding as well, and soon the ship had turned into a pile of wood and iron falling from the sky engulfed in fire. It hit the ground, but most of it disappeared on impact, some things that seemed humanoid took some time before vanishing.

—PHOS! —Ghost suddenly yelled into my ear and I fell to my knees. I realized he had been holding me with all his strength, even with just one arm, and trying to make me snap out of... whatever I just had experienced.

Sensei looked back and his face showed a bit of surprise, as my arm was just behind him and looked like a cage just about to capture him. It melted immediately, leaving the ground all covered with the gold alloy and shards of myself.

—G-ghost, I'm sorry, I-I couldn't hear you...

He was... crying, but he was unable to shed tears. I wasn't, so I cried them for him. Sensei approached us and hugged us too. The battle wasn't over though, and he knew it, so he let go of us shortly after, and turned away once more. I was able to focus enough to see that the field in front of our school was now covered in craters, and the school itself has received some impacts. The three Lunarian's vessels had been defeated, as well as the remaining general, who I later was informed was vanished by Zircon and Bort. Only two of Rider's ship remained, but when I glanced at them, I noticed they were getting away.

—Sensei, are you alright? —Euclase said as he approached, the rest were right behind her.

I counted heads. Zircon, Goshe, and Rutile were damaged, but only Sphene had been broken into shards, which had all been recovered. Red Beryl was pretty pissed off that Sensei's robe had been damaged, and Alexi has arrived after everything had already ended, holding Shiro on his arms and with Livy over his head. The only two missing were Shirou and Caster, which meant they were still over Rider's ship. I forced myself to stand up and started running after them, grabbing the spear on my way. I didn't notice it at the moment, but Livy had jumped from Alexi's head into my shoulder when I passed next to her. I was too focused on running. I had to reach them before it was too late. I couldn't hope that Shirou would help me at the last moment like when Antarc was captured, as he was now the one in trouble.

But the closest I got to it, the stronger I got the feeling that something bad was about to happen. Then the realization hit me, three vessels, when one was destroyed the other two ran away. Something like that had happened before, and I had the information about it fresh on my mind after reading about it with Alexi, and after hearing about three sunspots appearing at the same time. It was too much coincidence, just changing the Lunarian's vessels for Rider's ships, it must be a reprise of that trap. 

—Those who pursued the vessels were never seen again —Alexi had said.

I slowed down, almost coming to a stop. Then I went faster than before, as fast as my body allowed me to go. I was walking right into a trap, but I wasn't going to let them take Shirou away from me!


	26. Wish

As soon as I step on one of Rider's ship, I was forced to summon Rho Aias to protect Caster and myself from the attack of its crew. They weren't Lunarians, instead they looked like statues of pirates that had come to life, some looked like humans and others more like skeletons. They were all armed with guns or swords, but their attacks weren't too effective against my shield. I took advantage of the situation to let Caster stand on her own feet, and ask her a question that has been bothering me.

—I'm sure you know I could have destroyed at least one of these ships from the ground, and Phos could have damaged another with Lancer's spear, so why insist on coming directly against her?

—Three reasons. Rider's fleet is almost limitless, but she can only maintain three ships at the same time as she is right now, if one is destroyed she could have replaced it relatively easily. Secondly, she is obsessed with you, but wouldn't blow one of her own ships to get you, so you are the safest here, and she can't focus entirely on the gems on the ground too much either. Thirdly... —she paused and looked away, in the direction where Rider was— I want to try to release her from Franny's control.

—You said you couldn't use your magic, yet you did use your scepter, are you hiding anything else?

She smiled.

—Not at all, even when I was using my Noble Phantasm I wasn't sure it would work properly, but it did, so I think I only need to think it will work to make it work! —she said full of confidence, but my expression must have made her start feeling nervously—, I know it is a selfish wish, the beings that we are right now aren't connected in any way, it is just a remnant of the ghost they used to make us, but even so... please, lend me your strength and help me free her!

—I'll help you, but we need to do it quickly, I won't let the other gems be in danger unnecessarily.

She nodded and I dissolved my shield, instead re-creating the swords Bakuya and Kanshou from the shards of obsidian and my own metallic "flesh", and used them to block and counter the attack of two of the pirate-like enemies. Their bodies feel like stone as I had imagined, but as soon as I had cut them, they turn into dust. They weren't too much efficient fighters, they only had the advantage of being more than us and that I had to keep Caster safe from both swords and bullets.

Fighting against them at that pace would take too much time, and we would still have to fight against Rider after that. I didn't want to risk my friends on the ground, so I decided to try a little trick I had been thinking of.

—Trace, ON!

With the blueprints I had in my mind and the resources I could pull out of my inner world, I was able to manifest several blades floating right above the enemies, and then I just let the swords rain over them. This didn't kill all of them, but at least opened a path towards Rider's ship. I grabbed Caster and ran through it, leaping from one ship to the other before the pirates could stop us. Rider was sitting on some sort of throne, surrounded by a smaller but better armed crew. She seemed delighted to see me, and stood up ready to fight. Caster started to prepare her spell, and I steeped ahead with my blades drawn and materializing others to counter Rider and her crew's attacks. I had some degree controlling them, but much like how Rider with her cannons, I had to focus on each blade if I wanted to move them independently.

The pirates were tough to defeat, but my newly developed skill gave me an edge and I was able to defeat them one by one. Rider, on the other hand, was unexpectedly agile and incredible resourceful, and it seemed like vanishing her comrades only gave her more space to move and attack. When only she and two of her minions remained, she tried to use the chains that had bound Ghost and me when we had first met. I knew I would be paralyzed if she caught me with them, but for some reason I couldn't focus entirely on the battle. My head started hurting and my vision became blurry.

For an instant, the scenery in front of me changed, and instead of seeing Rider, I saw Adamant's back. His robe was torn and burnt, and in his skin there seemed to be barely noticeable cracks. I was overcome with a feeling of desperation and fury, and then I noticed one of Rider's ships in front of Adamant, aiming its cannons against him. I snapped out of it, just in time to block Rider's chain with one of my blades, which was constricted until I broke into pieces. I couldn't care about it at the moment, the impression of that vision was still too fresh on my mind. I looked around and saw that one of the ships was in fact about to shot against Adamant, and worse, Phos and Ghost were right behind him. They wouldn't survive the attack even if Adamant would take most of the damage. Almost without realizing I had materialized my bow in my hand, as well as a spiral-like sword. I knew that sword, one that was made to break through defenses and walls.

—Cadalbolg! —I yelled as I pulled the string back, the sword coiling and turning more like an arrow.

The pirates attacked me, but I released the projectile before they reached me. The recoil sent them flying backwards, both breaking into pieces after impacting. One of the ship's masts also came down, and the whole vessel shook up intensely. But more important, my arrow hit the other ship before it could attack, and it exploded in a burst of flames. I was relieved, but also exhausted, I feel into my knees, sweating and short of breath, my hands were tingling for a while. I tried to stand up, knowing that Rider was still a threat, and somehow I managed to do it by holding to the ship's rail. From the dust that my attack had raised, Rider emerged. She was missing one of her arms from the elbow down, and there was a big crack from her chest to her forehead. She didn't seem to be bothered by that, instead she was wearing a smile like saying "we are finally alone".

I materialized and threw some swords against her, but she was still able to evade them with ease. She wasn't attacking me either, she was just toying with me. After a couple of tries to immobilize her, I wasn't able to finish materializing another sword, and it fell on the ground, its half made blade piercing the wooden floor in front of me. Rider smiled and aimed her gun towards me, but when she shot it, the bullet just grazed my leg. She lick her lips, clearly enjoying having me at her mercy.

—I hope that had been enough time, Caster —I said, an Rider's eyes widen when she remembered there was a third person aboard her ship.

—I would have liked a few more seconds, but I'll make it work —Caster said, raising her now glowing scepter—, LAW BREAKER!

—STOP! —Rider yelled and aimed her gun at Caster, yet she took a few seconds to actually pull the trigger.

I took advantage of that moment of hesitation and pulled myself right in the path of the bullet, reinforcing my body with whatever energy I still had on me. The bullet hit me in the shoulder and almost blew my arm off, but I managed to stay in one piece.

Rider tried to move and shoot again, but she was unable to, a magic seal appeared on the ground and kept her where she was standing. The light became so bright that it was blinding, but it stopped just after a couple of seconds. Rider collapsed on the ground.

—Was that it? —I murmured, too tired to turn and look at where Caster was.

—N-no... I managed to damage the ties between her and Franny, but my magic supply was cut suddenly —she said in a confused tone, but she suddenly seemed to have a realization and yelled—, we need to get out of here!

I heard her run to where I was, but before she could reach me, the paralyzing chains started moving on their own and throw themselves against Caster, capturing her. A couple of meters in front of me, what seemed to be a miniature sun spot appeared, but it opened as a door instead, and a person came out from it. She was dressed in white, almost as the dress of a bride, even with a veil covering most of her face.

—Shero, that's Franny! —Caster yelled—, do not—

—That would be enough, Caster —The woman in white calmly said as she raised her hand. I didn't hear my companion's voice anymore.

—What did you do to her?! —I angrily asked, still unable to move even an inch.

—I just pushed her into the ocean, I'll recover her later, don't worry.

—The ocean?

—Yes, Rider has been moving her ships away so we wouldn't interrupted anymore. For that, I'm very grateful —she has been walking towards me, but stopped and moved Rider so that she would be sitting instead of lying on the floor. She even patted her head.

After that, she resumed approaching me, and when she was right in front of me, she hugged me.

—W-what are you doing?

—I just missed you so much, I really wanted to come and see you, but those Lunarians were always watching, they would have discovered our plan.

—Our plan? What are you talking about?

—Oh my, did you forget even that when they cut your head off? —she said, moving a bit away from me. Her tone and expression looked genuinely worried—, don't worry, I'll explain it all to you and the memories will surely come back to you. I'm not an ally to the Lunarians, I'm only using them to make the grail war a reality and fulfill our wish. But they found out, and you took the blame, they cut both of your arms and your head, and then they threw you to the planet and forced me to send the other servants to attack you instead of sacrificing them as it was planned.

I didn't know what to think about what she was saying, she seemed honest enough, but I have heard Caster's warning before. I decided to dig further and at least hear what she had to say.

—What was it... "Our wish"?

—To even forget that, you are a cruel one, Sempai. Our wish is to revive humanity, of course.


	27. Exchange

I looked at the person in front of me with eyes full of disbelief. 

—The point of this... grail war is to revive humanity?

—Yes. More specifically, to bring the souls trapped in the black box the Lunarians found in the moon and make them reborn on this planet, where they could live long happy lives and have big families.

—Caster could have done that without having to do all of this!

—Yes, she could have, but she wouldn't. Her more prominent facet is that of a goddess, once she had fully regained her powers, she would have set the world as she wanted it, and we mere "mortals" wouldn't have a chance to oppose her. The rest of the Servants aside from you and I are the same, everyone is too inhuman to understand us, per the Lunarians' forcefully request. The gods are capricious beings, we can't trust them.

—If what you are saying was truth, why did you ordered Rider and Caster to take Ghost away?

—Ghost? ...Oh! One of those Lustrous beings you have being living with. I didn't realized you had really lost your memories, so I thought you were acting all this time. Taking one of them would have convinced the Lunarians that was the case, so they would have let me work in peace and find some way to get rid of them. They would also had their hunger for hunting the Lustrous satisfied for some time, they get anxious whenever they don't capture one of them after a few weeks.

—And just like that you were going to sacrifice a life?!

—A life? They aren't alive —she said—, they are barely more than machines, only reacting to exterior stimuli, without thoughts of their own. If the Lunarians were to stop hunting them, they would just sit around their precious leader and let the centuries pass. They wouldn't develop a civilization, technology, or arts, nothing at all.

—That's not true! —I yelled.

Goshe and Morga cared about each other, and Morga loved to tease the others. Bort was an idiot who always said things in a mean way, but wasn't an idiot or a bully... not entirely. Antarc was like a big brother, who tried to take care of everyone even if he thought it was a dull chore, and she loved Sensei. Ghost had a small presence and was taciturn, but she wasn't shy to speak her mind, and she really loved Phos. And Phos... she was my best friend, someone who I could trust without any doubt.

—You only see them that way because your vision is screwed —Franny said, as if she had been reading my mind—, it is all because of those eyes, they work as tainted glasses. You'll understand, as soon as I get rid of them.

She reached out and her fingers were almost touching my eyes when the ship shook as if something had hit it. Franny tried to recover her balance, but after a moment she jumped away from me, just in time to avoid a red spike piercing through the wooden floor. After the first one a thousand more followed, sprouting like the branches of a three. That was without any doubt the special attack of the Gae Bolg.

Franny seemed to recognize that, and she reacted by pointing towards the other ship. As if by following her commands, that vessel aimed its cannons against the bottom of the ship we were currently on, most likely where the other end of the red spear was. But before the other ship could shoot, it was hit by a stream of water that blew a big chunk out of it, and soon the ship started falling towards the ocean.

The spear retreated, and instead, a fluid-like golden arm held to the railing and pulled the rest of the body to the deck. Phos was standing in front of me, doing her best to save me, and I couldn't help but smile. Even after we had gotten this far, she had still come to help me.

—I will not let you take him away! —Phos growled.

—We were in the middle of our conversation, move aside —Franny calmly said and raised her hand against Phos like she had done against Caster, but the gem was prepared and just before she would be pushed away, she pierced the floor with the spear, anchoring herself to it.

This visibly frustrated Franny, who instead tried to push her downward and actually managed to make the floor behind Phos break after so much stress, but that started a chain reaction, and soon the already damaged ship started to break into pieces. She tried to grab Rider, but the floor broke right between both of them and pushed Franny against the railing, while Rider fell into the ocean. The part where I was also started to fall apart, and as it collapsed I saw Franny retreating, throwing a glare back at me before entering her sunspot-like portal.

—I'll look for another opportunity to talk, wait for me —she said, before disappearing.

The floor around me broke and turned into gold dust as I was falling, and soon feel myself reaching my terminal velocity. The chains that have been holding me also vanished, but I was still unable to move even an inch, so I wasn't even able to control my fall. I was pondering whether my body would be resistant enough to survive the impact, when I remembered that shooting Cadalbolg had most likely left my body full of micro-fissures. At least breaking into pieces at contact with the ocean would be better than drowning on it and get lost forever. I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable.

—SHIROU!!! —I heard and came back to me, Phos was falling right behind me, trying to get to me.

She made me remember, I couldn't give up just yet. I forced my arm to move towards her and she grabbed it. We pulled toward each other and ended up hugging, with her facing towards the ocean.

—How much time do we have? —I asked.

—N-not much.

—That's enough.

I spun us so we both were seeing the water approaching, and extended my arm once more. I thought I didn't had any energy left in my body, but still forced myself to project Rho Aias, adding as many layers as I could. My arm started cracking. Phos then extended her arm towards the shield and like when we were protecting everyone, she made supports between us and the shield.

—I'll protect you —she softly murmured, as her alloy started covering me.

We hit the water a second after that, and we hit it hard. I could feel that every joint of my body had broken or at least cracked very badly, buy Phos's gold kept me in one piece instead of spreading all over the ocean floor. The last thing I saw as we were sinking was the familiar whale-like silhouette of Livy approaching us.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring at the sky. I had regained a bit of my strength, so I could move my neck a bit, as well as my fingers and toes, but everything else was still immobilized by the embrace of Phos' alloy. She was still unconscious, her face a bit too close to mine. By the way we were moving and what I could feel about the surface we were laying in, I deducted we were traveling on Livy's back.

—I'm sorry... —I heard someone murmur, and turned my head as much as I could to find who else was there.

It was Caster, holding between her arms the shattered body of Rider. She was missing anything below her navel. What remained of her was turning into golden dust too.

—I'm so sorry, I... —Caster kept saying.

Rider raised her only arm and touched Caster's cheek.

—Don't ... cry, my... goddess —Rider said in a different voice than her usual, but it somehow sound familiar to me.

Caster held her tightly until she vanished entirely.

Phos only awoke and let go of me when we returned into the island a few minutes later. Everyone was on the beach already preparing to go search for us into the ocean. Caster got off of Livy on her own and kept glaring at the ocean, but Phos and I required some help to get down. Livy's warrior form started to vanish in a cloud of mist, and soon her slug form was perched on my shoulder.

Adamant stood in front of us.

—I'm glad you were able to return safely. —He said, his expression was... somewhat different.

—Sensei, I... —Phos said, but was unable to say anything more, as she started to bawl her eyes.

Adamant hugged her and patted her head, attempting to calm Phos.

—I hate to interrupt such emotional scene —Caster said after some time, finally looking at us—, but Franny cut off my supply of mana, so I will most likely disappear if I don't make a contract with anyone else.

—What? —Most of the gems yelled.

—Well, we are technically dead already, so there is a price to pay for us to keep existing as we are. That doesn't include the energy we need to be able to use our Noble Phantasm and such, which has to come from somewhere. Without a supply of mana provided by our "Master", us Servants would disappear.

—Then, why has Shirou stayed so long? Is he still being feed by that person? —The other gem inside of Ghost spoke through her lips.

—No, the Archer class Servants has a skill that allows them to survive for low periods of time without resupplying energy. As long as he doesn't do anything too extravagant, he should be fine with the energy he gets from the sun —Caster said, making me remember that time I "froze" after using Gae Bolg as an arrow, and how I had being unable to move just before.

—On the other side —she continued—, Casters like me can't go more than a few hours without mana. I can't help to feel a bit jealous of you, Shero.

The gems started to ask questions about the whole process, and Caster had to explain it to them, not as grandiosely as before as the lack of mana had left her feeling light headed. The volunteer wouldn't be affected too much, and would only feel a bit tired if she ever had to use a lot of energy in a short time, and they would get three command seals that would allow them to give an order that Caster couldn't refuse. She only needed a small fragment of their bodies to make the pact.

Bort fearlessly volunteered, but Caster said they weren't compatible and she would receive a very low input. I suspect she didn't want to give her those three absolute orders to Bort. Ultimately, it was decide Dia would become her master, despite Bort's objections. Caster was very happy after receiving a tiny shard of Dia because —Diamonds are a woman's best friend.

Dia and Caster still had to say an oath to each other, but after that the pact was done, and we all returned to home, as the sun was starting to set. Phos kept holding Adamant all the way to the school, where everyone branched out to their respective rooms. Phos, Ghost, and I, however, ended up in the library, again with Shiro the puppy and Livy tagging along. We had been there just a couple of hours before, but many things had changed since then.

I looked at the window and saw my reflection on it, watching directly at my own eyes. I had never thought about it, but almost everyone else had irises who matched their hairs, as that was the natural color of their body without the white-ish powder. Phos was an exception as she had received Lapis' eyes after she had lost her former ones. However, from the moment in which they found me I had always had these eyes with teal irises, despite the rest of me being metallic gray.

—Phos, I think I have your eyes...


	28. Padparadscha

It has been ten days after the battle against Rider, and everyone was still on high alert. Caster had tried to convince everyone to remain at school for the time being, but they all protested and said they HAD to keep patrolling. They compromised to reduced the area of patrolling and to stay in groups of four.

Shirou and I had been given some free time to recover from our injuries, so at that moment we were just laying in the grass right outside of the school. He had been sleepy and tired since the battle against Rider, and after the effort he pulled, it didn't surprised me. I was too emotionally drained to do anything else, and had remained motionless for a couple of hours just watching the clouds pass by. I ended being covered in butterflies. Livy was sleeping over Shirou's chest, while Shiro the dog had to be forced to stay with Ghost back at the library, otherwise he wouldn't have let us rest. I was starting to wonder if the clouds were gray enough to mean it would rain, when someone blocked my view. It was Rutile, with a smile on his face that meant that he needed something.

—I hate to bother you on your free day, but would you mind escorting this cute doctor for a short errand?

I really didn't wanted to get up, but if he had come to ask me it meant everyone else was busy and it was something important. I managed to at least put my body in a seating position and turned to look at her. As I did this, I noticed he was carrying a container in his hands.

—Where are you going?

—To the cliff of origins —he said.

I really didn't want to go now. That place was almost the furthest from the school without entering to the ocean, and I had really bad memories from my last visit to it. Then I remembered a reason why Rutile would want to go to that place.

—Oh, you are going to look for parts for Padparadscha?

—Yes, I haven't had the chance to go look for more samples since winter started, it has just been too chaotic around here.

I stood up and for a moment I considered leaving Shirou sleeping, he needed to rest. Then again, I wouldn't stand a chance alone if another "servant" would appear. Franny, "the woman behind the grail war ritual", could have crushed me easily if she had bothered to actually fight me. I couldn't see her eyes behind that veil she was using, but I could feel she saw me as less than a pebble in her way.

—Wake up, it's time to work —I said giving Shirou some light pats on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes.

—Huh? Are we going somewhere? —he asked, still half sleep.

Rutile explained what he wanted us to help him with, and Shirou agreed to help. Both of them had started walking away when they realized I was being left behind.

—Phos, are you coming?

—Eh? Ah! Yes, I'm coming! —I replied and after taking the spear that had been laying at my side, I ran to reach them.

I had been distracted remembering the talk I had with Shirou, when he revealed to me that his eyes where the ones I had lost. At least, that's what he believed, and it made sense for me. They were the same teal color than the rest of my phosphophyllite. I didn't know how I hadn't noticed before, I might have attributed it to Shirou's abnormal "birth". After all, we came to this world from the rock on the beach we were going at that moment, not as the beautiful creatures we normally look, but as hideous and barely humanoid beings. Sensei had to carve us all to make us look pretty, and gave us eyes made of pearls and our natural minerals to refract light to let us see properly. Shirou, on the other hand, took shape on his own and had eyes from the start, so I never questioned it.

—She even said that without your eyes, I would see you as mere machines —Shirou said that evening, his face showing that he didn't believe it.

Franny also have told him that he was already missing two arms and his former head, having lost them before he was sent to this planet, and either the Lunarians or Franny herself still had them. I couldn't help but wonder how Shirou was originally, as apparently he had been working with Franny to fool the Lunarians and get the wish they shared, to revive humanity. Franny's words had to be taken with caution, however, the only way to corroborate her story would be to ask the Lunarians themselves. I snapped out of my memories as I heard a sound unlike anything I have personally heard, but that could recognize most likely thanks to the memories Shirou had shared with me, as a stomach growl.

—I-I'm sorry... —Livy said, covering her face with her tiny pincers.

—Don't worry about it —Shirou said—, shall we stop for a moment so that you can eat something?

—No, I would hate to inconvenience your travel. Besides... I'm a little bit tired of eating grass.

I noticed she looked a lot paler than she used, and she has been acting more lethargic since she returned us from the sea. Then I remember my time I spent along with her king.

—That's right, Ruler said there weren't enough nutrients on this island! —I said in a worried tone, thinking that the tiny slug had been hungry all this time without saying a word.

—Ah... our king needs to eat a lot more than us commoners, and the warrior caste is able to go for a long time without food... but I might have reached my limit. I ate some fishes when we were on the deep ocean ten days ago, but digesting them takes a lot of energy, so it ended up being almost pointless.

—Hmmm... I might have an idea —Shirou said, and as we were almost reaching our destination already he asked the Admirabilis to wait for a bit.

While Rutile was looking for the pieces he needed, Shirou asked me to go into the ocean and try to catch some fishes with the spear of Lancer, while he "got everything ready". I managed to catch three and returned to see that he has build a fireplace like the one we used to melt Antarc.

—What is that for? —Rutile asked.

—It is a surprise —Shirou said with a smile.

After removing the fishes' guts and scales, he put a stick through them and left them near the fire. That whole ritual seemed somewhat familiar, as well as the smell that started to come out of the fishes. After some time, he removed one of the fishes and presented it to Livy.

—It has been cooked, so it should take less energy to digest, and it should be tastier too.

The admirabilis devoured it and seemed pleased with it, recovering both her color and energy. Then Shirou took a bite from one of the other and both Rutile and I jumped from the surprise.

—What are you doing?! —Rutile screamed, worried that he would have to tear Shirou apart to get that thing out. 

There had been a time when a younger gem which name I won't disclose ate a cocoon and Rutile had to do exactly that as the recently hatch butterfly kept tickling said gem from the inside. It felt very gross, or so I was told by that gem.

—Don't worry, I think it will melt in my stomach and become energy.

—What basis do you have to claim such thing?

—Hmmm... it's just a hunch, I guess.

Neither of us were convinced, but we couldn't stop him, so we at least convinced him to allow Rutile to do some test with the help of Caster once we returned to the school. Shirou looked so happy eating, as if it was something he cherished and had forgotten until now. I was tempted by his reaction and the smell, and put all of my attention on the remaining fish.

—Would you like to try it? —Shirou said, offering it to me.

I refused at first, but I wanted to at least know how did it "taste", so I took a bite. It was... tasty, I could understand why Shirou was making that face. It was also too entertaining to see the expression of horror in Rutile's face as I keep eating. At the end, I could only eat three bites of it before I felt full, and Livy ate the rest.

Our excursion ended up after Rutile found barely enough materials to try to fix Padpad, almost half of it was Saphire and the other half was Ruby. By that time, the sun was already setting on the horizon, and halfway through our way back home it had already started to become dark. Rutile started to get sleepy and demanded to be carried the rest of the travel, something which Shirou reluctantly agreed.

Once we got back to the school and he had his tools within reach, any sign of sleepiness vanished from Rutile, and he ran a test on us to find out if the food we ingested had indeed been "digested". The test consisted on him hitting us with a hammer to see if there was a weird sound. Due to my unusual composition, he had to hit me several times, some which I think he did only to spite me. According to him, we were clean. After that, he spent all night fixing Padpad.

We went to look for Caster, who had spent the day studying in the library with the help of Ghost. I could totally understand the face she was making when we found her. When we told her we wanted to corroborate the results of Rutile's test, she tried to make a spell to scan every molecule in our body, but it didn't work. 

According to her, the more she believed her spells could work, the more likely they would work, even if she didn't remember exactly how they were supposed to work. After the battle against Rider, however, she had lost much of her former confidence and had started to doubt herself, at least when dealing with magic. She apologized and told us she might be able to calculate our weight and the water we would displace from a container, but she was too tired and almost fell asleep halfway through her sentences. As it wasn't really that important, we told her that it didn't mattered, and Shirou carried her to her room. I took Shiro with me as I wanted to let Ghost rest too.

As we were walking through the hallways, I realized Shirou had been carrying a surprising amount of people today, and I started to feel a bit envious of Caster and Rutile. I also wanted to be pampered, but I just wasn't feeling sleepy at all, so there wasn't any excuse for it. It was a bit weird, I have become a night owl since the winter, spending hours either on the library or stargazing until I fell asleep, but I was still feeling tired in those times. I just didn't liked to see the recurring nightmares about not being able to save Antarc or any other gem, or the ones about Sensei plotting with the Lunarians against us. 

Now, the only explanation I could reach for my lack of tiredness was that the food had given me enough energy to stay awake. Shirou also didn't look tired, when normally he would fall asleep just a couple of hours after the sunset, which seemed to corroborate my theory. So, with both of us being insomniacs that night, we just sat in front of the pond and talked about anything that could come to our minds. He mostly told me about things he had been remembering of his former life as a human, phones and computers that allowed one to speak to someone at the other side of the world, vehicles that moved as fast as the wind, and giant telescopes that could see deep into space. Speaking of the later, he mentioned the stars looked a lot different than what he remembered.

—We could be in the other hemisphere, or it could have pass enough time for the stars to move significantly, I'm not entirely sure —he said, and then pointed towards the sky—, I think that red dot isn't a star, but a planet. It could be either Mars or Venus. I should have put a bit more attention on astronomy lessons.

I looked at where he was pointing, confused as in all my all-nighters I haven't noticed such bright point in the firmament, but I might have missed it in my half-sleep state, so I didn't said anything. We kept talking until the sun was rising on the horizon, when we saw Rutile get out of the infirmary and stretch his body.

—Did you finished fixing her?

—I did what I could, Ruby and Saphire are the same kind of gem than him, so it should work, but fixing him is becoming progressively harder. He just keeps rejecting whatever new material I use. 

—Oh, so you are saying I'm becoming a hurdle? —Padpad said in a jokingly manner, suddenly appearing from behind Rutile. The Doctor jumped from the surprise and immediately started to debate that accusation, not understanding that the red haired gem was messing with her.

—H-How do you feel?

—I'm perfectly fine, and I look very flashy. How long did I slept this time?

—Two hundred thirty one years, eleven months and fifteen day.

—That long? I really overslept...

—It is all due to my incompetence, I made over three hundred attempts in vain.

—It is due to my own weak constitution, isn't it?

—No! If I can't help you overcame that, what kind of doctor would I be?

Padparadscha diverted his eyes from Rutile after that, and looked at us.

—Hmmm? Do we have newcomers? —He asked, and after looking at me for an instant, he seemed to be able to recognize who I was —Ah! You are that runt that clinged from Sensei all the time! You have changed a lot, I'm so surprised!

—Well, this and that happen... —I said, with a little nervous laugh. 

—And you are covered in cracks... are they filled with an alloy? So you are kind of like me?

—Something like that, my legs are made of Agate too.

Padparadscha grabbed me from the shoulders and pulled me to her, giving me a hug.

—You poor thing, you must have gone through a lot.

Without letting me go, he threw a glance towards Shirou.

—And you... I don't think he have met before.


	29. Adapt

I was introduced by Phos to the recently awaken Padparadscha, omitting some details about the holy grail war and the other servants. Phos had told me a bit about her the night before, how she was like a caring big brother to all of them, and always knew what to say. Despite this, I felt something eerie about her, and kept my distance. Maybe it was because she was the first gem I had get to know after what Franny had told me, and it had affected me more than I thought.

—Padparadscha, can I ask you a question? —Phos suddenly asked, holding behind her back the flute she had been carrying around for a while.

She had told me and Ghost about it, and the idea that crossed her mind about communicating with the Lunarians using it as a medium. Ghost thought it was an amusing idea. I was against it on principle, but if she really wanted to try it out, I would support her. After the battle against Rider, however, she had decided to at least give some rest to suspecting Adamant, so the theme hadn't reappeared on our meetings. The Lunarians haven't appeared on the island since then either. 

If she wanted to ask who she thought was a matured and level headed person her opinion, it meant that that idea hadn't left her head entirely, though. Padparadscha tried to tell Rutile that she was going for a walk, but Rutile was already sleeping on the floor. Phos looked back at me for a moment when they were leaving, almost as if asking me to tag along, but I felt she needed some privacy.

—I'm getting a bit sleepy after talking all night, I'll catch with you two after a quick snooze —I told her, and put my back against a pillar, with Shiro the dog still sleeping near where I was.

I wasn't entirely lying, I doze off immediately afterwards, only being awaken by Rutile pinching my cheeks and asking where Padparadscha has gone. She ended up dragging me too look for her, and when he found her and Phos, Padparadscha was lying sleeping on the ground.

—Did you manage to ask what you wanted? —Rutile asked in a deadpan tone.

—No, we only had enough time to talk about the weather.

I helped carrying Padparadscha back to the school, and Phos and I returned to our lazy rest. Ghost came to see and talk with us for a bit, and Yellow came after hearing that Padparadscha have been awaken, only to be disappointed of getting there too late. The sunset arrived before I realized it, and the gems that had been patrolling the island returned. As I have suspected by the lack of whistles during the whole day, no sunspots have been sighted.

—With this, its eleven days without any Lunarian attack —Euclase said, trying to hide the worries she was feeling.

—They must be planning something —Bort said.

—I agree, and I'm pretty sure it is due to Franny's intervention —Caster added—, we need to take preemptive countermeasures for whatever they could try.

She looked motivated and forced everyone to stay awake and come up with ideas, even pulling Adamant out of his office. I hid in the crowd and fled from there at the first opportunity, only to find out that Phos was already outside.

—Ah, so I'm not the only one who managed to get out of there —she said with a impish smile.

—Caster's plan seems to be sensible, but I don't think I could add anything of value to the conversation.

I looked up and saw again the red dot in the sky, only this time it looked somewhat bigger.

—There you are! —Caster yelled, peeking from the inside of the school—, Shero, you might be my fiance, but I can't give you special treatment, come back in this instant and bring Phosphophyllite with you.

—Yeah, I'm sorry, but... —I just couldn't get my eyes from that thing—, would you happen to know if that's Mars, Venus, or a star? I could swear its getting bigger each night.

Caster walked out and glared at the sky too for a few moments. Then she asked me if I could trace a telescope for her. As it wasn't a sword and I didn't remember even seeing one directly, I only managed to materialize a very simple one, more akin to what pirates and sailors had used in their golden era. That was enough for Caster, as she reached her conclusion after just one quick glance.

—That isn't a planet or a star —she said with a somber tone, almost afraid to end her sentence—... it is a meteor.

Caster ran to the interior of the school while Phos and I took a glance at the supposed meteor through the telescope. It had the distinct tail being projected against where the sun was, which make it look as if was traveling sideways, but that was a mere illusion. The iconic image of a meteorite with its tail straight behind will only happens once it starts to burn in the atmosphere.

We soon followed Caster and found that she had already informed the rest about what we have seen.

—A meteor? —Jade worriedly said.

—The last time a meteor passed near the planet, it brought a catastrophe —Euclase added, with a hand covering her mouth.

Adamant seemed lost in his thoughts.

—It is too much of a coincidence, this has to be influenced by Franny —Caster said—. I need to verify its trajectory, but it is very likely it will crash against the planet.

—If that happens, we will... —Dia started to say.

—No, you will be fine —Caster interrupted her—, I-I will put a spell to protect the school, and we will dig a tunnel for extra caution. You don't need to eat, so we can stay inside until it is all over.

She was very nervous, trying to make her hands stop shaking. Dia held them and made her look at her eyes.

—That sounds like a great plan, let's work all together.

Caster relaxed a bit, managed to smile a bit and nodded.

We started to work immediately, Caster assigned a team to build a proper telescope and get data about the movement of the meteor, and another to build the tunnel right in the center of the school, while she focused on getting the protection spell working. As Dia was her "master" she was asked to help her, even if that only meant holding her hand. Bort didn't look too pleased about it, but used her anger in productive ways, cutting pieces of the marble floor until she broke three swords.

By the morning everyone was completely exhausted, but he had reached the end of the marble, and we had gotten enough information to know the meteorite will hit the planet in two days. Moreover, Caster was able to discern exactly where it would fall, if it kept its trajectory, in a map drew based on the knowledge of Livy from the oceans.

—According to its size, speed, and the place where it will hit, we should be safe with the protective measures we are taking. The school will be hit by the shockwave, so everyone needs to be inside, and in the tunnel for extra caution. We can't underestimate Franny's attack.

We kept working on it, but I noticed Livy looked very worried and anxious, so I took a moment to ask her about it.

—I... I'm worried about my people. I swore to help you until I had repaid the crimes my liege committed, but they will not know about the meteor until it is too late. Maybe if I told them they would have enough time to run into the Deep Trench, they will surely be safe there.

—Livy, you have already done a lot to help us, you don't have any debt to repay —I said, petting her head—, you can go with your people whenever you want, I'm sorry if I never told you that. Go and warn them, watch over them, and come back to tell us everyone is fine after that. I might even go visit your land once this is over.

—D-do you promise it? —she said, extending her tiny pincer.

—Of course —I extended my little finger and we "shook hands".

I took her to the near beach, and apparently our conversation had been overheard by other people, as some of the gems were right over a hill saying goodbye to Livy.

—Come back soon! —I heard Phos say.

—Be careful! —Eighty four and Thirty three yelled waving their arms.

—Bring back anything interesting you find! —Rutile added. 

With tears in her tiny eyes, Livy promised to return as soon as possible, and jumped into the ocean, turning into her warrior form when she was deep enough. Unfortunately, we couldn't linger on the moment, as there was still work to do.

Books and valuable things were moved to the tunnel, and I was a bit moved seeing some of the things I had made and gifted to others among those. We also moved the powders and shards Rutile had in the infirmary, as well as Padparadscha along with her coffin. Finally, we even moved the gem shards that had been recovered from the Lunarians, which Ghost had categorized with a lot of care. It was the first time I actually saw those, and I got a weird feeling about them. Maybe it was because they had been on the moon, but they just didn't feel like the shards I have seen until then. There was an exception, the head of Lapis Lazuli, as it was the only piece of her that wasn't taken away. She didn't gave me that kind of weird feeling, but for some reason, I felt as if she was going to open her eyes at any moment. I kept my distance from her.

By the moment when we had put everything of value inside of the tunnel, the two days had passed, and the meteor could be seen with the naked eye. Everyone was exhausted, anxious, and afraid, holding each other and waiting for the impact. Just then, when there was less than thirty minutes before the meteor crashed, Phos suddenly stood up and looked around.

—D-did anyone told Cinnabar to come here? —she asked, already knowing the answer.

Jade gasped and covered her mouth, while Rutile facepalmed herself. We had been too busy we had forgotten about the "exiled one".

—I'll go look for her —Sensei said, standing up, but Caster stopped him.

—You are too slow, and no matter how durable you are, the shockwave will send you flying if you are outside.

She wanted to send the fastest ones, Yellow, Zircon, and Bort, too look after her, but Phos told her she knew where she would be, and that she could go and return before the meteorite crashed. With doubts, Caster agreed to her plan and Sensei told her to be careful.

I waited outside, and got extremely nervous when I saw the meteor start to burn in the atmosphere. Of course Phos arrived at the very last moment, dragging Cinnabar from her hand, and both were carrying the bells I had gifted her during the winter. I wanted to curse at both of them for risking their lives just to bring something I could easily replace, but the blinding light of the impact behind them left me speechless, and momentarily blinded. It didn't mattered, as I knew already what I had to do.

—Trace on!

I manifested Rho Aias with its seven layers behind them, and projected several giant swords to make a wall. I couldn't even hear their footsteps when the roaring of the shockwave hit my makeshift barrier, so I could only hope for the best. Right then, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me to the interior of the school. I felt my barrier being broken in pieces a couple of seconds after that. As my vision started to return, I saw that both Phos and Cinnabar had made it into the school, the later still holding my hand, with a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

The shockwave was hitting the school, making it shake and he even saw some pillars crumbling. Caster's spell was holding it in place, but we had dug the tunnel for a reason. We ran through the dark hallways, as we had even taken the bioluminescent jellyfish to the safety of the underground, and the cloud of dust had covered the light of the sun. Cinnabar's mercury emitted enough light to guide us, until we saw the bright head of Dia peaking out of the hole. We jumped in just before another column fell, along with a part of the second floor.

I felt relief seeing that everyone was safe. We sit in that dark hole, hearing the rumbling noise and feeling the earth shaking, for what felt like at least half day. When the disaster seemed to have been settled, a party was sent, consisting of Bort, Dia, Caster, Phos, and me. The school was still standing, but there were big parts of it that had collapsed or were damaged. The scene on the outside was worse, the whole island seemed to have been covered by the sea, though it seemed like the water was receding by that point. The sky was covered in dark clouds, with just a few rays of lights managing to break through them. On the horizon there was a red glow, not the sun but the place where the meteorite had impacted.

Dia was shaking, and Caster seemed to notice it, as she held her hand and made her look at her eyes to calm her down. Bort was looking from afar, and tried to act as her stoic and uncaring persona, but I saw her looking at her hands for a long moment.

—What are we going to do now? —Phos worriedly said.

—We survived, we will adapt —was the only thing I could think to say, and turned back to tell the rest what we had seen.


	30. Death

According to a weird mechanical clock that Shirou and Caster built, it had been three days since the meteorite fell. The sky were still too dark to even tell when the sun was up. And with each day, the temperature kept dropping. Everyone was tired and sluggish due to the lack of sunlight, but Caster was already trying to work on an alternative. Shirou and I had been the only ones patrolling the island, as we had been able to keep our energy by eating some of the fishes that ended up trapped on small ponds after the water receded. We even took some and kept them on the big pond in front of the school along with the jellyfishes.

It was really depressing to see how the island had changed. The grass survived for the most part, but almost all the threes had come down. Shirou and I were able to save some that hadn't been washed away by the waves by putting them back on their spot. The beaches had also changed their shapes due to the intense waves, and some parts of the island were still underwater. The cliff of origins was now on a separated small island, but one could still walk to it if they didn't care about getting their feet wet. There hadn't been any Sunspot activity during that period either, which I already expected seeing how they only appeared when the sky were clear. Caster had warned us that they might come to gloat about their attack anyway, so we couldn't let our guards down. 

After covering almost the entire island we returned to the school, not entirely sure of how many hours we had spend on that expedition. It was difficult to tell the time outside of the school, as the clock was too heavy to carry and the clouds were still covering most of the sun rays.

As we approached, we saw Sensei waiting for us on the entrance.

—Good work to both of you —He said patting my head.

Shiro the dog also came out running and jumped into my arms, trying to lick my face. I told Sensei about the scarcity of news as we followed him to the inside. Due to the damages in the building, we had all been sleeping on the big hall next to our meeting "room" and the hole in the ground we used as a refuge. Everyone was sitting surrounding a glowing sphere, almost as if it was a fireplace. Another literal fireplace had been built just next to it, taking advantage of a whole in the ceiling to let the smoke go away. This one was being kept alive by Caster, who was cooking our dinner on it, after having been taught by Shiro.

—Hey, what is that thing? —Shirou asked as he sat next to the fireplace, pointing to the glowing orb.

—It is my greatest development yet, an artificial sun —Caster proudly said—. It takes mana from the surroundings and turns it into light and heat... though it's still just a prototype and it is highly inefficient, around 10% efficiency only. I'll keep working on a better model, but until it is ready they'll have to use that one.

—We are really thankful for it —Dia sluggishly said.

—It is really amazing —Shirou said—, I don't know how we could have survived this without you.

Caster smiled and blushed a bit. An artifact that was placed over the fireplace started puffing air, producing a whistle-like sound.

—Ah, the tea is ready —Caster said, pouring a brownish liquid from the "kettle" into three "cups", all of which she had found among the things Shirou made before remembering what they were for. The kettle was also made from wood, but apparently Caster had turned it fire-proof. Shirou smelled his cup and smiled.

—Is this cinnamon? How did you get it?

—Rutile had some of it among its things.

—Don't go grabbing things that aren't yours without asking —our doctor said, trying to sound angry, but it was hard to take him seriously when he was trying to monopolize the "artificial sun" by hugging it.

Before I could take a sip out of it, Shirou warned me that it might be hot, but he forgot to warn me about its taste. It wasn't entirely sour, but it was really strong, and I almost choke because of it.

—I'm sorry, since we didn't have any sugar or honey, I completely forgot about the taste —Caster said, giving me some pat on the back.

Shirou drank his tea and made a weird face, half out of the intense flavor of the tea and half of fond memories being awaken by it. I was hesitant to take another sip, when Sensei approached me.

—May I? —He said, pointing to the cup.

—Are you going to drink it too? —I asked with a surprised tone, handing him my portion of the tea.

—No, I would like to just smell it a bit —Sensei replied—, it is somehow... nostalgic.

My head started hurting a bit, and for a moment, I thought I saw the silhouette of someone standing next to him, wearing a coat like Rutile's, and holding a cup in her hands.

—Sensei, I... —I started to say after the figure had vanished, but I was distracted by a weird blue glowing coming from the hole in the ceiling.

I turned around and saw that the light was coming from every opening to the outside. Everyone else also noticed, so we stood up and approached it with caution, swords drawn. To our surprise, we found that the black clouds covering the sky had opened in a spot, letting us see one of the moons. However, this one looked huge, and with a blue tint. Just as that image was starting to set on my mind, a Sunspot appeared, and as it started to unfold, it also started expanding both horizontally and vertically, seemingly covering the entire panorama in front of us.

From the sunspot, several hands started sprouting, like when Shiro the dog appeared the first time, but this were humongous in comparison. At least a dozen hands appeared individually, and two more emerged together, being followed by the chest and head of a giant figure. I felt a bit of relief when I realized it was just a giant version of the immobile statue they had in the center of their vessels, and not an actual giant Sundry. The statue rotated a bit downwards, allowing us to see that each had was carrying a group of Lunarians equal than what a regular vessel will carry, all of them playing instruments or waving banners. In the center hands there was Franny, surrounded by four figures that seemed to be other Servants, and some very peculiar beings.

For the servants, one was wearing a black armor with some red markings, and wielding a similar looking sword. Another was a child with grayish skin and black hair, wearing what seemed to be rags, and holding a sword that was bigger than her. The third one was another girl, dressed in some sort of ceremonial clothes, with her face behind the skull of what seemed to be a jackal. The final one looked like a samurai with a straw hat, and an extremely large sword. At that moment it didn't occurred to me that there should only be three servants left.

The other beings that were next to them and Franny could have been separated into two groups. The first ones were definitively Lunarians, their entire body was their characteristic pinkish color, but they all had different body shapes. One was very tall, almost as tall as Sensei, and was wearing what looked like an Oni mask. There were a couple of the brawny ones we fought when Rider attacked, but also others who didn't look too apt to fight. One of them was so scrawny, and was holding something like a notebook as if his life depended of it. It kind of reminded of my younger self.

The other group was really odd, their skin and clothes were some tone of dark blue. Their body shape, their clothes, and the weapons they carried varied a lot, but all of them had their eyes covered, and stood still as rocks.

Shirou manifested his shield in front of us after a quick glance, but none of the Lunarians had even drawn their bows or any other weapon. Franny was the only one who stepped to the very edge of the platform she was standing in.

—Congratulations, Lustrous people —she said, extending her arms to the sides—, you have proven your determination to survive against the odds, you have impressed me. For that reason, allow me to present you with what that will end all the conflicts.

She held her hands towards us and lowered her head, it looked almost as if she was praying. A large object started to manifest over her hands, a spear with two prongs that twisted and fused with the rest of its body. My head started aching again, and in the corner of my eye, I could see that Shirou was experimenting something similar. I focused on the weapon, "tracing its components" and saw carbons of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. I felt as if I had seen that pattern before but at first I couldn't remember where. When I turned around and saw the same pattern in Sensei's sash, I was able to remember it. I had seen something very similar on the cracks that had appeared on Sensei's back, though I was still not sure if I had imagined seeing them. I felt like there was still something lacking in that spear, but it was sure it was physically the same. 

I heard a thundering noise, and Shirou's shield was destroyed in an instant. Right before my eyes, Sensei had been impaled by that spear. I... I couldn't understand what I was seeing, and I'm sure everyone else was as confused as I was, at least during the first instants after that. He fell backwards into the ground, and closed his eyes.

—Se-Sensei? —Euclase weakly murmured, trying to reach him, but to scared to move.

—W-what? No... —Jade said, not believing what his eyes were saying.

—We... We can... —Rutile was hyperventilating, looking for the instruments he always carried on his coat's pockets, but his hands were shaking so hard he keep dropping them to the ground.

Dia was the one who finally let a yell of pain and horror from the bottom of his soul, and most of the others followed him. Everyone started cracking and "crying", falling to their knees. I was still standing, frozen, but I felt my body cracking and the alloy sprouting to the outside. I think one of my arms even fell off. Even Caster and Shirou looked too shocked to react.

—How dare you... —I heard someone say among the cries and laments, with a tone full of anger and resentment. To my surprise, it hadn't been Bort, but Jade.

He stood with the help of his sword, and before anyone could do anything, he started running towards Franny.

—W-wait! —I heard Caster said, but it was too late to stop him. Instead, she started to recite a spell.

Jade jumped higher than I had seen anyone jump before and was about to slash Franny, when she defeated him with just a simple word.

—DIE.

Jade's body went limp and he started to fall, I reacted on the very last moment and ran to where he was falling, managing to catch him with my alloy just before he would hit the ground. He wasn't moving, and I was thinking that the worse had happened, but he started coughing and wheezing.

—Thank goodness —I head myself saying—, are you alright?

—Yeah, I'm fine —he said, his head had cooled a bit by that point.

He tried to stand on his own, but his legs didn't respond and he almost fell.

—W-what is going on? I can't move my legs?

—I'm sorry —Caster said as she arrived where we were— Franny intended to kill the inclusions on your body, I tried to cast a protection spell, but I couldn't cover all of you on time...

She told Jade that they will do a full test when things have calmed, so we carried him together back to where everyone else was. Just as we passed Shirou, we heard lightning cracking.

—I AM THE BONE OF MY SOUL —he said as he aimed his bow loaded with Cadalbog, pointing right where Franny would be.

I tried to stop him, thinking of how he was still recovering from the exhaustion after using it during the fight with Rider, but he had already released the string. The arrow went straight against its objective, but Franny made it disappear with just a gesture of her hand. The giant statue started receding into the sunspot, and as it vanished, the clouds once again covered the blue moon.


	31. Rebirth

We went back to the school in silence, carrying both Sensei and Jade. Caster and Rutile started working on them immediately. As Caster had speculated before, the inclusions on Jade's legs were dead, and while those in the rest of his body will eventually reclaim them and he will be able to walk again, whatever memory he had there was lost forever. He took the notice pretty well, as he was more worried about Sensei's health.

—How... how could something even hurt Sensei? —Euclase asked.

—That spear is made with a material almost identical to what Sensei is made from, and with the strength of it being thrown or something that Franny did to it, it managed to pierce him —Rutile explained—, we have all of his shards, so we should be able to fix him. However, his interior is way more complicated than anything I have seen before.

—Adamant isn't made of one piece of gem like all of you, he had many all sorts of mechanism and circuitry inside of him, some which seemed to have been damaged before, some which I had no idea how they looked when they were working properly —Caster added, looking very grimly.

—B-but, you can fix him with a spell, right? —Alexi said.

—Right?? —The Amethyst repeated, almost begging.

—I... I'll try —Caster promised, not sounding confident on her own words.

It was late and everyone was tired, so we all went to the spots in the big hall where we had been sleeping. However, we were all on the brink of despair, unsure of how we could even attempt to sleep after everything that had happened. I just sit in front of the pond, looking deep into the water.

—Uhmm, you... —I heard someone murmuring, but at first didn't paid attention—, the one who saved me earlier, with the green hair, errr... Phos! Yes, Phos!

I turned around and saw Jade, trying to come to where I was by dragging herself. I jumped and ran to him.

—Is there something wrong? —I asked with a worried tone.

—No, I'm fine, but I remembered something about the fight earlier and had to tell you about it.

—Me? Why me?

—You are Sensei's personal assistant, aren't you?

—I... I have neglected that job for some time —I said and sit next to him.

—It still the same, you are the one who have to step up now, until we fix Sensei.

I almost laugh at the idea, if only my face and emotions hadn't been frozen by what had happened.

—W-what did you wanted to tell me?

—When I went to attack that... Franny, I saw that the Lunarians were fighting against each other.

—What?

—Yes. Those weird blue ones and the servants were fighting against the regular ones, and Franny was holding the very tall one with the mask by the neck, and he was on his knees.

That information was very valuable, and I thanked Jade for telling me. Franny had been apparently telling the truth, she was trying to betray the Lunarians, but she had proven to be a worse enemy for us. The idea of making a deal with the Lunarians to go against Franny crossed my mind, but there were still too many factors unknown. To change a bit the topic, I told Jade we would make a wheelchair for him to move on his own until his legs recovered, and after explaining what a wheelchair was, he was delighted by the idea.

—So, did you forget about me?

—Ah! No, of course not... I just couldn't remember your name for a moment —he made a pause—, no, that's not entirely true. I remember when Sensei introduced you, when you became Sensei's assistant, and when you stayed awake all winter and got that weird gold alloy inside of you. But there are a lot of holes between those memories. It is the same with everyone... I know that I know them, but I forgot a lot about our daily lives...

—You lost like a third of your inclusions, it is to be expected that you lost a lot of memories. I went through the same when I lost my own legs.

—You did? Oh, right... when you went to the ocean looking for... uh...

He looked distraught, so I pulled him towards me and hugged him.

—We lost much today, but as long as everyone is still here, we can make new memories, right?

He nodded and returned the hug. That must have calmed me too, because I fell asleep soon afterwards. When I awoke, Jade was still holding one of my hands, and Ghost had slept grabbing the other. To my surprise, everyone else was also there, grabbing each other hand and forming almost a circle. The glowing orb was placed on the middle of it, right in front of me. Cinnabar was the only one sleeping on his own, aside from Padpad, but he was still pretty close to us compared to the previous day. It was still very early, so I scurried without awakening anyone and walked around a bit, finding Shirou sitting in front of the pond. Shiro the dog was sleeping at his side.

—Did you manage to sleep at all? —I asked.

He turned to face me, and when our eyes meet, I saw a flash and the vision of gears grinding against each other. I shook my head and made a mental note to ask Caster why I was having so many visions lately, though the cause was more than likely the person I was talking to.

—Not at all, I wanted to stay guard —he said, trying to fake a smile. I noticed his bangs were raised and his hair was a bit spikier—, but I got to see something quite nice, look.

I sit next to him and finally got how I had been able to tell it was morning already. The sky was still covered in clouds, but they were a bit more transparent and allowed us to see a bit of the dawn's light. It was, considering the context, breath taking.

—So, are you going to step up to fill for Adamant?

—You heard about that?

He nodded.

—It sounds absurd, but I think someone needs to be in charge until Sensei returns... and while I think Jade or Euclase might do a better job, I feel like I can't let them carry that responsibility on their own. I'm not sure if I can do it myself, though.

—Adamant was the moral support of your people, and you already gave them some peace of mind and helped them to sleep. I think you will be able to do it just fine.

I thanked him and offered to make the breakfast. Eating fish in every meal was starting to get boring, though it was still tasty, so he started to tell me about other kinds of food he could make, if he had the right ingredients. Caster had been working all night, so she only had breakfast and fell asleep immediately after. She hadn't been able to do much progress on fixing Sensei.

I let the rest sleep a bit longer, until they started to awake by themselves. I summoned everyone to the meeting hall, sans the sleeping Caster, and proclaimed my intention to act as our leader until we fixed Sensei.

—HA? Sensei hasn't been... out of commission for more than a day and you are already taking over? —Bort angrily said—, he had meditated for longer before and we were able to do things on our own!

—But, this time is different... —Dia replied.

—We don't know how long it will take to fix Sensei, we need to have someone guiding us —Rutile added.

—Even if that's the case, Euclase or Jade would fit that position better! —Bort said.

—I was the one who suggested Phos to be our leader —Jade spoke—, I recently lost many of my memories and a lots of mobility, I don't think I would be able to fulfill the responsibilities of that charge myself. Our leader needs to be strong and kind, and I think Phos meets those characteristics.

—I don't think I'm fit for being our leader either, but I will work diligently with Phos if everyone accepts him —Euclase added.

Bort still crossed his arms and slightly pouted, but didn't have any other retort and no one else volunteered to the charge. Therefore, I assumed my post and responsibilities. Our priority was of course getting Sensei fixed, but as most of us couldn't help at that task, we put most of our efforts in fixing the school's structure. Caster was the most overworked, having not only to work on Sensei, but also on the glowing orbs, as the light from the sun was still dimmed most of the days, completely darkened in others. She also was working to recover the full extent of her magic to get rid of the Holy Grail war and the Lunarians, but that would take more time. To lessen her duties a bit, I asked Dia, Alexi, and Yellow to help her, with Ghost volunteering to lend them a hand when he wouldn't be so busy.

Not long after that, and even with the sky still darkened, the Sunspots started to appear again. However, now they carried a smaller amount of regular Sundries than usually, and always had at least one of the blue-ish ones. Those were sturdier than the common sundries, and each had their own fighting style. Shirou and Caster deducted they were "Shadow Servants", not a fully manifestation like they were, and unable to use their Noble Phantasm at their fullest. They were still pretty dangerous, but with some effort, a pair of our best fighters should be enough to take them down. For that very reason, only Shirou, Bort, Goshe, Morga and I were allowed to go on patrolling. The Lunarians' vessels sometimes still had traps or weapons hidden on the central statue, which was a annoying as always.

And so, three months went flying, and we had regained some sort of normality in our lives. Red Beryl had made me a new attire with the last cloth we had managed to gather, inspired by Sensei's clothes but with a spin, as he said. A white inner shirt under a black robe, tied on my waist by a red cloth. My right arm and shoulder were exposed, as Beryl noticed that was my dominant arm and he thought it would need to have more freedom of movement. The robe was definitively shorter than Sensei to allow me to run and jump, unlike Sensei who was too heavy to do any of that. With each day that passed, it was becoming colder and colder, to the point where snowflakes had started to fall.

—I wonder if Antarc will awake soon —I mumbled as I walked through the beach—, he is going to be so mad at me for letting Sensei get hurt.

—I'm sure he will understand it wasn't your fault —Ghost said, walking at my side. I had allowed him to patrol only if it was with Shirou or me.

We were near the cliff of origins, one of the furthest places from the school, but I wasn't too worried. Goshe and Morga were relatively close to our position, and Shirou was just a bit further along with Bort. I thought I could deal with anything the Lunarians threw against us. In fact, I was hoping for a chance to fight against them so I could try to use a new flute I had carved, to try to communicate with them. So when a Sunspot appeared right in front of us, I was overly excited. Ghost already knew what I was planning, so he stood aside and let me do my job. In my hubris, I didn't used the whistle to call for back-ups in case things got sour. But to the surprise of the nagging negative voice in my head, my plant went through smoothly.

I defeated most of the Sundries and the Shadow Servant they had with them. With only a couple of Lunarians still manifested, I took my flute out and tried to established communications with them. For a moment, they did lower their bows and look at each other in confusion. What I wasn't aware was that this vessel was being watched by another two that had remained hidden, and they clearly weren't happy I was trying to "talk" with their "allies". I had to jump back to the ground where Ghost was to avoid being overwhelmed by their arrows.

—We need some help —I said.

Ghost nodded and blew his whistle. The Lunarians would have surely realized what that meant by now, because immediately after it seemed like they were trying to get away. Then, one of the Shadow Servants showed me a short sword, whose components I could recognize with just a glance were the exact same as Shirou's. That was surely made from one of his missing parts, probably one of his arms considering its size. I knew it was a trap, but I had to get it. Without having time to explain it to Ghost, I jumped and stretched my arms to grab to the closest vessels' edge, pulling myself into it. I had become very accustomed to fight using the Gae Bolg and using my alloy to protect myself, so I didn't thought I had anything to worry about it.

Now that I wasn't interested in leaving survivors, I cleaned that vessel's surface really quickly, but the Shadow Servant who was wielding the short sword managed to surprise me, apparently he was able to hide in the shadows, and he hit me on the head with the sword. The gold alloy stopped the blade before it could do any real damage, though. I quickly vanished him by piercing his chest with the spear and took hold of the sword. Now I just had to defeat a couple more of the old Lunarians, jump to the sea, and return triumphant to the island. But before I could do that, my ears started ringing incessantly. My whole head was shaking, and I was barely able to keep my balance. I stepped back to the edge of the vessel, even if I ran away at that moment, I had already what I wanted, I just needed to give one more step. Then everything turned black.

Fortunately, I awoke in my bed and not on the moon. Ghost and the others had surely picked me up from the ocean and brought me home to be fixed. I tried to get up, but somehow my head felt very heavy. I dragged myself out of my room with my gaze fixed on the ground, until I hit the wall. I pulled myself up and looked through the window, my eyes were still not adjusted to the light, but everything was seemingly covered in snow.

—It must have been a huge hail... —I said, starting to think I might have slept a few days.

I went back to the floor and kept dragging myself looking for anyone. I ended up finding Rutile, Red Beryl, and a gem I didn't recognize chatting on the infirmary. It was mostly Red Beryl ranting something about clothes.

—Excuse me... —I managed to say— I'm feeling so tired and my head feels so heavy. What happened?

The three of them looked at me with dumbfounded eyes.

—I-Is that so? Do you feel anything else? —Rutile finally said.

—Ah... I'm awfully hungry. And I can only see with one eye...

It was weird, with both eyes opened I saw everything as normal, and when I closed my left eye, nothing happened, but when I closed the right one everything went dark. I looked around to be sure of that, and I noticed that Red Beryl was hugging a fluffy dress against his chest.

—I thought we had run out of cloth, is that my winter dress?

—Your winter dress... Phos?

—Yeah...?

Rutile placed a deep plate filled with water over his table and helped me to get to where it was.

—Huh? Oh, right, I should wash my face to be presentable...

Before I did, I saw the figure appearing in the reflective surface, an absolutely gorgeous face with long large blue hair, and missing an eye. That awoke me immediately, and I repeatedly turned from the surface to my comrades in disbelief. I held "my face" and keep staring at "my reflection".

—I'm a beauty! —I said, completely enamored of my appearance.

I heard the unknown gem groan, and he angrily told me to stop making faces shortly afterwards.

—It seems like your inclusions were able to attach it to the rest of your body —Rutile said, checking the back of my neck—, the head of Lapis Lazuli.

—W-what? —I asked, unable to stop looking at myself.

—Don't you remember? The Lunarians used that weird knife that made everything it touched vibrate until it explodes —Red Beryl said—, it blew your head, and while we recovered some parts and one of your eyes, it wasn't enough to fix your head.

—Ghost offered to use Lapis head, since you already had his eyes. Well, one of them at least —Rutile added—, but after the surgery, you slept for a long time.

—How... how long was it?

—One hundred and two years—the new gem claimed.

I finally looked up.

—Eh? —I blinked —Say that again?

—You slept for one hundred and two years.

I sat on the ground and held my head with my hands.

—Hey, are you alright? —Rutile asked, worried that my head would explode again.

—Yeah, yeah, I just need a moment to process it all —I said, taking a deep breath. Weirdly enough, the notice didn't affected me as much as I thought it would, I was feeling a bit numbed—, I... I also have to thank Ghost for letting me use Lapis head.

—Well, he is right there —the doctor pointed to the new gem.

I took a deep look at him, paying attention to the details, his body language seemed oddly familiar, and his composition seemed to be that of a quartz, but he wasn't Ghost.

—No, I meant the one who was with me when my head blew off, MY Ghost!

Rutile was about to argue with me, but the new gem spoke.

—He means my outer layer, the one he and the rest of you spoke with 100 years ago.

The meaning of those words seemed to resonate with my memories, but it took me a few seconds to remember what he was talking about.

—Oh! So you are the inner child! It is a pleasure to finally meet you! —I said with a smile—, but then where is the... other Ghost?

He looked away from me.

—He was... taken by the Lunarians fifty years ago.


	32. Dulled

—I see... —I said as I sat on one of the nearby tables and held my head with my hands.

My Ghost, the one who had been supporting me without asking anything in exchange, had been taken away while I was sleeping, all for my stupid hubris. I should've feel devastated, furious, or even just cry uncontrollably, but I didn't. All I could feel was numbness, and that's what was making me angrier, or at least I should feel that way. I deduced that Lapis' head was filtering my emotions and keeping me in control, something that I both cursed and thanked him for. If I had lost it, I might have impaled "Ghost" as I did to his outer layer so many years ago.

—How did it happen? —I asked.

—It... it wasn't your fault —was the reply of "Ghost".

I didn't wanted to ask for more details, as it was obvious it was still something painful for him. But he had told me enough with those words, Ghost probably felt in the same trap I did. They probably even used my former head to lure him. Rutile made a couple more test on me while I looked deep into a corner of the room, trying to not think too much. Both "Ghost" and Red Beryl had left us, the former to tell everyone that I wasn't sleeping anymore, and the later went to bring me some clothes, as I was still only using my sleeping robe. 

To my surprise, when Red Beryl came back he was carrying the last clothes he had made for me, the ones that I used while holding the title of "leader", still in pristine conditions. I thanked him, as it should have been a lot of work to avoid it being damaged after all this time. The red cloth belt was missing, but I didn't mentioned it. I started putting it on, as I had grown accustomed to it even if I only wore it for some months, but I stopped halfway through.

—I don't think I should keep using this —I said.

—Huh? What is wrong? It must still fit you.

—It's not that, but this is what I used when I acted as the leader. It has been a hundred and two years since that...

—Nobody has used it —Rutile said—, and nobody has become our leader. We just... kept doing what you told us.

—Sometimes we even went to visit you and talk to you when we needed advice, even if you were still asleep it was somehow reassuring—Red Beryl admitted, a bit embarrassed.

I couldn't fully understand why they would seek me instead of Sensei. During those months before I lost my head, they keep insisting on sleeping near me, so I guess they became accustomed to rely on me. I think Jade once mentioned I was more approachable and easy to understand. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heels clicking against the floor with haste, until they stopped right behind me.

—Is it true that you are Phosphophyllite? —a familiar voice asked.

I turned around and looked at the person in front of me with wide eyes.

—Antarc... —I closed my eyes, smiled, and extended my eyes to my sides— Yes, it is truly me, come!

—With pleasure! —he said, and he punched me on the face, as I was expecting.

The impact threw me on the floor and made me spit some of my alloy, but it didn't even broke Lapis' skin. It also didn't broke Antarc's arm, which was what surprised me the most.

—You... held back a lot... —I said, getting on my feet.

—I have had more than a hundred years to cool my anger, but I still haven't forgotten that you let Sensei get hurt.

—Hahaha... —I badly imitated a laugh—, wait, is Sensei still...

—He is still damaged... —"Ghost" said. Unlike his outer layer, I had felt him coming back into the room.

—I want to see him.

Guided by Antarc and "Ghost", who apparently were a team now, I walked to what had been Sensei's meditation chamber and was now his resting place. He was placed in a platform on the center, and was surrounded by beautiful flowers either on the floor or hanging from the ceiling. "Ghost" told me that they had been making some progress on fixing him, but it was still not enough to revive him.

—It was you who keep all the flowers alive? —I asked, looking at Antarc.

—Of course, I want Sensei to have a nice view once he awakens.

—I'm sure we will be glad to see how much effort you did for his sake. I'm also a bit jealous you didn't put any flower on my room.

After spending a moment there holding Sensei's hand, I told them I was ready to meet the others. They had to point I was still not fully prepared, as my clothes were still all disheveled and loose. By the time I made myself presentable and went to the common hall, almost everyone was already there, looking at me with expectant eyes.

—It has been a long time since the last time I saw you all, and I can only blame myself for that —I said with a fake smile—, but let's forget about that and work together from now! With a new face, your beloved Phosphophyllite had returned, I hope you can accept me as your leader once more.

—You got to be kidding me —Bort growled. I was glad he was still here.

—Amazing! —Yellow and Dia exclaimed, the latter almost jumping over me.

I took a look at the crowd, and counted heads, just to be sure nobody else had been taken. Aside from the seven already mentioned, Benito, Eucci, Nepuchi, Zircon, Obsidian, Eighty Four, Thirty Three, Alexi, Sphene, Hemi and Melon were there. Goshe and Morga were there as well, but they looked somewhat different. Lastly, Jade was sitting on a wheelchair, but much more elaborated than the one we made for her a hundred and two years ago. Discounting Padpad, who probably was still sleeping in the infirmary, that was all of us. That was... all of us, right?

Plenty of my brothers came closer to me and started asking questions about my status, and I tried to answer them to my best capacity.

—You really look like Lapis, but it is still you, right? —Yellow asked.

—Of course it is me, who else would be this beautiful?

I saw "Ghost" mopping on a bench, saying that the precious images of the Lapis Lazuli he respected were vanishing before his eyes.

—Hmmm, are you having second thoughts about lending me Lapis' head?

—That was mostly my outer layer choice, but I didn't disagree with his reasoning. To be honest, I was half expecting Lapis to take over your body, but there is nothing we can do now.

I tried to smile reassuringly and held his hands.

—Listen, I might never live up to what Lapis was, but I'll do my best to be a worthy substitute.

—Do whatever you want... —he said pouting and looking away. Even if he wasn't my Ghost, he could still be cute as him sometimes.

I feel a shiver run through my back, a powerful presence I didn't recognize was approaching us. It was moving slowly, but it was already in the building, entering the room we were to be precise. I made a blade out of my alloy and jumped instinctively against it, stopping only when I saw the careless and tired face of the person in front of me. The smell of the coffee she was holding also brought memories that weren't mine.

—My my, so all this ruckus was because of you, Phos? It has been such a long time.

—Oh, I forgot to tell the witch about it —"Ghost" said with a deadpan tone and a sarcastic smile on his face.

—I'm not a witch, you pebble!!

—C-Caster? —I said, as memories started to flow back to me.

I held my head with my hands again. Without this person we had never survived the impact of the meteorite. She was our best option to end the Holy Grail War ritual and also to put a stop to the conflict between us and the Lunarians, as well as the one who was more equipped to fix Sensei. I started to feel guilty for having forgotten about her, but once again, my emotions were dulled. Then I started wondering who else I could be forgetting about. I had, after all, lost all of the memories I had on my head. Gears started spinning and grinding against each other inside of my mind, and I saw in a flash the figure of an archer dressed in red and black.

—Where is Shirou? —I turned to see everyone looking away from me, not wanting to tell me.

I started imagining everything that could have happened to him, it must have been something even worse than what happened to Ghost for them no not tell me. When Lancer and Rider were defeated, their bodies disappeared immediately, which was more likely what would happen to him and Caster if they were defeated. Was he...

Caster grabbed me from the shoulders and forced me to face her.

—He is not here, but he is fine —she told me, and I was able to breathe a little better. My hands were still shaking.

—W-where is he?

—He left us, 3 years after you went to sleep, going to look for his Admirabilis' friend.

—Livy... but that was 99 years ago, how do you know he is fine!

She took another sip of her coffee and told me to follow her. She guided me to the same hole in the ground where we hid from the meteorite, but now it looked just as another room of the school, with marble stairs, floor, and walls. The room had a lot of shelves with all sorts of weird things, mostly containers with liquids and mechanism that were only half built. There were several iterations of the glowing orbs, each with an unique design. To my surprise, and frustration, there was one more person there that I had forgotten, holding Shiro the dog in between his arms.

—Ah, good morning, Phosphophyllite —He said with a warm smile.

—...Ci-cinnabar?

She nodded, and got up to put a chair for me in front of the table she had been. In front of him were a lot of pages with text and weird symbols I didn't recognize entirely. The ones that looked somewhat familiar seemed to be related to alchemy, though. He kept working, almost not paying attention to me, while I looked at him dumbfounded. I was also shocked to see Shiro being so attached to someone else, and it was almost as if he didn't recognized me at first. Cinnabar noticed my interest and handed me the puppy, who struggled and tried to jump away until it seemed to recognize my smell or something. Then it returned to his old tactics of trying to lick my face. While we were doing that, Caster poured a cup of coffee for me from a very complicated looking mechanism, way too much engineering had gone into design it when it was basically just pouring hot water over grounded coffee beans. She also placed powdered cream and sugar on the table.

—Where did you even got the ingredients to do this?

—We found some plants that were relatives of the coffee and sugar canes, though they had changed a lot since humans went extinct. I had to do some genetic manipulation to get anything resembling what I needed. Making the cream was more complicated, as there really isn't any mammals on this island or anywhere near. I had to use the hydrogenated fat of a couple of vegetables and add some corn syrup. I'm not too convinced of the consistency, but it is good enough, I think.

I only understood the general idea, so I nodded politely before taking a sip of the dark liquid. It was definitely different from the memories I had inherited from Shirou, way too sweet but at the time a bit too much strong. It wasn't too bad, though, but it made me squirm a bit.

—So I take you recovered your magic?

—Not entirely yet, but I remembered some of it, and more importantly, I remembered the true name of my Noble Phantasm!

—The true name? Is that really important?

—Of course, for us our noble phantasm is our anchor to this world, and its name is the key to our true self. I'm the goddess of knowledge and progress, my noble phantasm's name is the proof of that. Growing some vegetables and doing a bit of genetic modification is nothing for me —she haughtily declared.

—And where are you growing all of that? The last time I peeked out, the island was covered in snow.

—Oh, we built a greenhouse, it is lovely. I'll take you to see it another day. However, we can leave that for another moment, I brought you to see this.

She placed a tiny candle on the table. The flame was burning, but the whole candle was inside of a glass bottle, with no entry for air.

—This flame will burn as long as Shero is alive, and its flame will point towards him and burn brighter the closer it is from him, so we could even use it to locate him. I made it with a tiny piece of him I asked him to leave behind. He said he would be back in a couple of months, but I already expected him to be late. He had spent a whole year trying to learn how to stop needing to breathe, even spending days under the water of the pool, but he always ended up "drowning". He finally decided to go walking over the frozen ocean instead, but I suspected that he will break the ice and fall into the ocean anyways, and he would be dragged by the currents. I... I had meant to go look for him, I really did, but I had been too busy, I couldn't just leave your people alone without any protection.

Her eyes started watering, which I found a bit peculiar. Unlike me due to my fluid alloy, everyone else shouldn't be able to produce tears. Nonetheless, I understood how she was feeling, and again felt a dimmed guilty about how my idiocy had affected her and Shirou. I wanted to calm her, but Cinnabar beat me to it, holding Caster hand. I jumped out of my chair and gasped, but I realized that Caster was more surprised by my outburst than by being touched by Cinnabar. I cooled my head and looked intently, noticing just then that the Mercury blobs that used to surround Cinnabar at all times were just gone. They must have noticed my expression, because after exchanging confused looks for a moment, they told me what had happened.

—It has been such a long time that I have almost forgotten about it —Cinnabar said with a smile—, Caster found a way to seal my mercury inside me, so now I can release it only when I want it. And even if I cover someone on accident, Caster is able to clean their shards entirely!

She sounded very happy.

—T-That's great —I said with a smile.

I was happy for her, but I couldn't avoid feeling like I was being left out. I had been the one who had tried to help Cinnabar from the start, after all. Then I started feeling guilty, as I had not done anything realistic to help her. It wasn't within my abilities to help her either, those words were not more than an egoistic wish to be the one Cinnabar would rely on. I could only thank Caster from the bottom of my heart for helping Cinnabar smile, so I did exactly that.

—It's the least I can do, after all I had become the guardian deity of all of you, haven't I? —she said with a bit of an ego boost, taking a sip of her coffee—, but this deity is a bit overworked, so I'm glad you came back.

—I'll do my best to take some weight out of your shoulders —I said—, but I'll have to ask you to give me some time before that...

—Huh? Are you planning on going back to sleep?

—No, it's not that —I said, looking at the candle in front of us—, I'll go for Shirou.

Caster looked me with wide eyes.

—No, no, that's too crazy. If you go under the frozen ocean you'll end up freezing, and if you try to walk over it, you will be blown apart by the winds without anything to cover yourself. I'll work on something, just give me some time.

—Ah, it's alright, I don't want to put more work over your shoulders... —I said, trying to diffuse the conversation—. That was just an impulsive idea, forget about it.

We talked about some other things, and she put me up to date with what had happened in those one hundred and two years I had been missing. The climate has been that of winter since the impact of the meteorite, with some years being warmer than others. The Lunarians had appeared less frequently than before, but more often than what we would expected on winter. The Goshe and Morga I had seen were not the same ones I knew, those had been stolen by the Lunarians. Finally she was about to tell me something about the assistants I assigned to her, when I started yawning. It wasn't because I was bored, the coffee was just losing its effect on me, but that prompted Caster to look over her shoulder to a clock on the wall.

—Oh dear, it is really that late? Cinna, why didn't you told me?

—Tell you about what? —Cinnabar said without looking away from his notes.

—Never mind, I forget you are a night owl... —Caster apologized but told me she had to get a few hours of sleep to remain somewhat sane. She told me she will be working on some way to get Shirou back, and that I was welcome to come to her room anytime—, the coffee machine is always on.

So I returned to my room, feeling the effect of the coffee losing its power more and more. I barely managed to get into my bed due to how tired I suddenly felt. After I closed my eyes, I found myself inside of my old head, and under the ocean. I was unable to move as my head was detached from the rest of me, until a figure came and lifted me, taking me back to the shore where the rest of my original body was. Once my head was in its place, I took a look at the person who had helped me.

She was small like a child made of a golden substance, with a face that looked somehow familiar.

—Hello, who are you? —I asked, but the girl didn't seem to understand me.

I looked around, trying to make sense of my current situation. I was on an island that looked like our island, but a lot smaller, and most of it was ankle deep under water. On the distance, emerging from the deep water I could see a pair of spike like those we had taken the Agate from to make my legs. On the other direction, there was a replica of our school, partially sunken and very damaged. And on the sky there were dark clouds with giant gears emerging from it. The girl made of gold extended her hand to me, and I held it and followed her, as she started to guide me towards our home.


	33. Mind

The school looked even more damaged than after the meteorite's shockwave hit it, and it looked worse once we got inside of it. It was practically in ruins. Everyone's possessions were still in their rooms, but we didn't find anyone in there. Shirou's room was the odd one, it was literally full of swords. We arrived at the last room, the one where I had seen Sensei still unconscious earlier that day. When I opened the door, I found that the myriad of flowers were completely gone. Yet he was still there, lying unconscious over the table. Right next to him was another person, whose face I had recently become familiar. His gaze was deeply focused on Sensei, but the sound of the door creaking made him turn towards us.

—Oh, Phos! —he said, attempting to hide his surprise—, I was planning to meet you, but I couldn't afford not seeing Sensei.

The girl made of gold hid behind me and hugged my legs.

—You must be... Lapis Lazuli? —I said.

—Of course I am, but there is no need to be so formal, you can call me just Lapis—he said, approaching me and holding my hands—¸ we have been partners for quite some time, since you received my eyes to be exact. Though it is very unlucky you already lost one.

I touched my face, one eye was indeed missing.

—So even the mental image I have of myself has your eyes.

—So you figured this is a dream? You are pretty clever.

—Not really, it was pretty obvious.

The whole landscape was too symbolic, that place had to be some sort of mindscape.

—Well, at least you are perceptive —he giggled a bit— and about your original eyes, of course you wouldn't got those back even here, someone has been using them.

—...Shirou.

—Exactly —he said, pushing the hair behind his ears.

Suddenly we were on the library, and he started browsing the books that were on the shelves.

—How can we been speaking right now?

—My inclusions are incredible small, so there can be a lot more per cubic centimeter than in most of you. For that reason, there were enough to be able to replicate my personality and kept most of my memories in my head alone. Not enough to sustain themselves and keep me awake, though.

—So, you will be living inside of me from now on?

—Yes, it doesn't seem like your own inclusions reject mine, all the contrary, they seem to like the company —he said, throwing a glance at the girl behind me—, however, I think we have more important matters to discuss, and we are running out of time.

—What do you mean?

—We share the same objective, don't we? We both want to finish the war against the Lunarians and recover everyone who we lost. I too tried to communicate with them at some point, but it never occurred to me to use music, you really think outside of the box.

—It didn't work before, and I ended up losing my head for trying to do so.

—That might have been the case, but it has been one hundred and two years. Things might have changed. Time is running up, so we'll have to part ways soon. You are pretty accustomed to using my eyes, but I'll be helping you process the information you get from the one you still have.

—Speaking of that... could you stop messing with my emotions? —I bluntly said.

He looked surprised, but then smiled gently.

—If that's what you want...

After he said that, I was blinded by a bright light, and the next thing I knew is that I was awake. I sait on the corner of my bed and took a deep breath, before starting crying as the repressed emotions I had been holding back rushed to me. I felt as if someone held my hands and hugged me, but when I opened my eyes, it was only my arms surrounding me. I took a look at them, there was a lot more of the gold alloy between my shattered pieces than I remembered. Thanks to Lapis' intelligence, I was able to tap more efficiently into the tracing that Shirou had inherited me, and I was able to see the components of both the alloy and my original shards. That new skill allowed me to distract myself from my thoughts for a moment, but I still felt too exhausted to do anything. My hand moved again on its own and landed on my face.

—I know, I know, I can't give up —I said.

There were now more than one person inhibiting my body, much like how "Ghost" used to live within my Ghost; now there was Lapis Lazuli thanks to my head transplant, and the girl made of gold, probably due to my alloy.

—Huh? But why was Sensei there? —I tried to ask myself, but something was thrown over my face.

—Get up and get dressed, we are going out —Antarc said.

I had been too immersed in my own thoughts and still half sleep to hear his heels clacking against the ground. He didn't even leave the room, and looked at me all the time as if I had no saying on the matter.

—Where are we going? —I groggily asked.

—Caster asked me to give you a tour and show you everything that changed on the past hundred and two years.

—Oh, that actually sounds interesting!

I got up and got dressed pretty quickly, and in less than few minutes we were on our way. As I was walking through the hallways I started seeing things that I had been too distracted the previous day to notice. There were a lot of glowing orbs, like those I had seen on Caster's workshop, but these were a lot warmer, and they were everywhere; hanging from the ceiling or from the walls. They keep the inside of the school rather cozy. There were also some cables and pipes going in and out of the building in some places, but I didn't know what they were for. All of the exits had been blocked to avoid snow, now there were a few doors with a mechanism that locked them closed from the inside. There pool had been expanded and covered to protect the glowing jellyfish and the regular fishes from the freezing temperatures. Before we got outside, Antarc handed me a scarf and a coat, both with a glowing symbol on them.

—These work in the same way than the glowing orbs, they'll keep you warm and energized, so I don't want to hear that you got tired.

—Right, right —I said, but I noticed that he was only wearing the scarf—, aren't you going to put a coat?

—I'm stronger the cooler it is, so I'll be fine like this.

He opened the door and the cold wind immediately started sweeping in. We stepped outside and took a moment to admire what was in front of me. The sky was gray, with some darker clouds and a couple of sun rays managing to pass through. The ground was entirely covered in snow, but even outside there were more of the glowing orbs placed over post that seemed to signal commonly used paths. Those had been placed probably to avoid getting lost during a storm. I started stretching; I hadn't really moved my body in quite a while. The cold made it a bit difficult to move my alloy, and the sun reflected on the snow was pestering my eyes.

—Put these —Antarc said, again offering me a weird item. This time they were sunglasses.

—Thank you. Do I look cool now? —I said while making finger guns. His face revealed that he didn't think so.

—They'll protect your eyes, and it will hide the empty socket, it's a bit disturbing.

—Oh! Right... I'll ask Red Beryl to make me a cute eye patch when we return.

—A cute one?

—Yes, yes, maybe with a floral design.

We went on our way as I started to come up with designs, I was so entranced in this that only when the school was already on the distance I remembered something I had in my mind before.

—Isn't "Ghost" coming with us?

—He said he wanted to reorganize the library, he is always complaining that the others don't place the books they borrow on their proper spot, but I think he does that whenever something is bothering him.

—And I guess my awakening did bothered him...

—A bit, yes —Antarc said with a slight smile—, his outer layer keep going to visit you every night and every morning to talk to you, and once he was taken, this Ghost kept doing it out of habit. He might be blaming himself because he was unable to keep "your" Ghost safe.

—I'll talk with him when we got back, the only one at fault for that is me.

—Oh, so it was true that you did became a bit more responsible while I was sleeping?

—I'm just mimicking my role models, including you.

—And Shirou?

—Yes... him too.

—I heard about it from Caster, you wanted to go look for him, right?

—Yeah, but it is dangerous... I might end up needing to be rescued myself.

She suddenly stopped and turned dramatically.

—What if I told you there was some way to reach him safely?

—W-what do you mean?

From a small bag that he had been carrying from his waist, Antarc produced another object that seemed familiar, though I had only seen glances of it. It was Rider's gun.

—H-how?

—I found it a couple of years ago while breaking the Ice Floes, it is like that red spear that Ghost keeps using, isn't it?

—Oh, so he has it? —I said, only then remembering I wasn't carrying any weapon—, but yes, with this one Rider was able to summon... ships.

—That's what Caster told me.

—So we can use it to search for Shirou!

—Exactly, but there are two problems. First, it is a wooden ship, moving through the frozen ocean will be very difficult. It is supposedly able to levitate, but I wasn't ever able to make it do it. We can probably ask Caster to put a spell on it or something. Secondly...

He aimed the gun away from me and pulled the trigger. Following the sound of the shoot, a ship did materialized in front of us, but it was a complete wreck, it was almost broke in half.

—It kept the damage from its last battle. Caster said Shirou might have been able to fix it with his tracing skill, but I found it long after he was gone. But you... you have a part of his soul, don't you?

I took a deep look at the ship and the skill I had inherited from Shirou started to work on its own, showing me the blueprints and components of the vessel in front of me. By thinking of it like a weapon, I would be able to reinforce and repair it just by pushing energy onto it. The question would be if I had enough energy in me.

—I can do it —I said, trying to convince myself. I turned towards Antarc, who had a glint in his eyes—, you do seem way too invested in helping me.

—Of course I am —he said, blushing a bit—, the two of you helped me when I needed it the most, I would never forget that. Besides, I have been feeling a bit guilty for letting that fool go alone, I should have insisted more.

—We'll get him back —I said, and placed my hands over the damaged ship—, Trace... ON.


	34. Snake

I managed to fix about an fourth of the ship's damaged before I started feeling lightheaded. I stopped and almost lost my balance.

—Are you alright?

—Yes, just a bit tired. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped breakfast today —I said, sitting on the ground and hoping my head stopped spinning—, in any case, fixing the ship will take me more than a couple of attempts.

—We can take the time for you to fix it without pushing yourself too much, he has been gone for years, so it will not make any difference how much time it takes us.

—You are probably right.

Antarc helped me stand on my feet and we "put the ship away" by pulling the trigger of the gun once more. It apparently recognized our intentions and reacted to it, so we could hypothetically summon several ships as Rider has done, but I doubt either of us had the "mana" to keep them materialized for long. It didn't matter, as one ship was all we needed, after all. We went back to our plan to tour around the island, visiting some places that hadn't changed too much aside from being covered by snow and ice. After a couple of hours, we finally reached an entirely new sight, the greenhouse Caster had mentioned before. It was almost as big as the school's first floor, and its walls were almost entirely made of glass, but sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the snow and the strength of the wind. Its insides were quite the remarkable sight, an oasis among the frozen dessert. There were all kinds of vegetable growing in different types of pots and mini-gardens, and there were even some fruit trees. Everything was growing thanks to the biggest of the glowing orbs I had seen, which rested on a pedestal over a fountain in the very center of the building.

—You are really excited about this —Antarc said, sitting on a bench near the fountain and taking a book out of his bag.

—Am I? —I asked, only then realizing I had been jumping and running all around the place, seeing and smelling everything—, I guess I am, but I can't help it, everything looks so tasty.

—Well, eat whatever you want.

—Can I? Really?

—Caster is the only of us who eats, and he lost interest on the greenhouse shortly after we finished building it. Nowadays he only drinks coffee, and sometimes asks Cinnabar to make him cookies or other pastries. We are the ones who ended up tending the greenhouse most of the time.

—Then I'll dig in! —I said already about to bite what I thought it was an orange.

I came to realize by its sourness that it was something closer to a lime. After seeing the way my face contorted, Antarc actually started laughing, which was a pretty rare sight. I ended up eating the whole lime, it was a new taste after all and I didn't wanted to waste food. I immediately started looking for something more sweet to eat, but then I heard the very distinctive sound of a whistle.

—That sounded pretty close —Antarc said, walking towards the door, and I followed carrying a couple of vegetables.

Just by exiting the doors, we were able to see two gems standing near a cliff, with a sunspot appearing behind them further into the sea. We ran towards them, finding out that they were the youngest pair among us, the new Goshe and Morga.

—Good Morning! The adorable and reliable Phosphophyllite has arrived with his lovely assistant. Would you mind if we take over this? —I said, trying to give a good impression.

—Am I supposed to be your assistant? —Antarc said under his breath, not reading the cues.

—Eh? O-of course —Goshe said as his eyes started sparkling—, please show us the skills we had been hearing about!

—Leave it to me! —I said, stepping ahead and asking the young ones to hold my lunch.

—Are you sure about what are you doing? —My partner asked me on a harsh tone.

—Of course, of course, leave everything to me —I said—, just stay behind and I'll keep you safe, Ghost.

—Ghost? —Goshe asked, and I froze.

I covered my face in embarrassment, and forced myself to stop and think what I was doing.

—Ah... I'm sorry, Antarc, I'm falling into old habits. Being reckless won't work, having cautious is the way to go, isn't it? —I took a deep breath and turned towards my brothers—, could the three of you lend me a hand?

—It will be an honor! —Goshe said, and Morga timidly nodded.

—What do you need us to do? —Antarc asked.

—First of all, stop me if I start doing something stupid. Second, cover my back. When I lost my head one hundred and two years ago there were two sunspots hidden, and I think the same might be happening right now.

—They have been using that strategy since then, trying to get us when we are tired after a battle —Antarc said—, but how could you tell?

—I... can kind of see their silhouettes against the sky —I said, removing the sunglasses from my face—, three in front, and one more behind us.

—I can't see anything —Goshe said, looking around.

—I can't either —Morga murmured.

—Are you sure about that? We have only seen three of them appearing at the same time, never four.

—Well, if you don't believe me, let me prove it to you! —I said, coincidentally as the Lunarians from the only visible vessel had entered our range and started to shoot their arrows against us.

I immediately made a shield out of my alloy and captured all of the projectiles, and then by spinning my alloy very quickly, I threw them against the places where I could "see" the hidden sunspots. That actually forced them to become visible, proving that I was right. For a moment, both the Lunarians and my brothers shared a look of shock in their faces. It was especially delightful to see the former without their perpetual and disturbingly calm smile.

—You were right, I'll never doubt you again —Antarc said—, but now we have to fight the four of them at the same time!

—I-I told you to stop me before I did something stupid!

—You are way too damn fast!

—Um... Sempais? —Goshe made us return our attention to the Lunarians,

They had surpassed their initial surprise and where approaching us, three of them were already on range to attack us, and had their bows drawn and aimed. I embraced everyone and pulled them towards me, covering us the best I could with my alloy.The combined arrows of three vessels felt almost as an intense rain, except with arrowheads instead of water drops.

—Ughh... I won't be able to keep this for too long —I said.

—We can't deal with all four of them alone, we need reinforces —Antarc said—, for now let's run towards the school.

—I'll keep this three busy, you go ahead —I said, thinking that they would be able to block and evade the arrows of just one vessel.

Antarc flicked his finger against my forehead.

—Ouch! What was that for?!

—You are about to do something stupid!

—I-if we get bellow that one, we'll be safe for a moment. —Morga was able to say, pointing to the one that was further away, between us and the school.

—Fine, then let's make a run for it together and hope for the best!

—Great!

—That sounds like an awesome plan! —Goshe added, mimicking our tone.

Without any other better idea we went along with that one, I threw the arrows back at the Lunarians to distract them, and we all made a run for it. I was lagging a bit behind them because I still tried to block as many arrows as possible while moving, but also because I was the heaviest among us. Fortunately, I was able to barely keep the pace of the others, who were blocking the attacks of the sunspot that was right in front of us. We somehow managed to get below it, where it impossible for the others to hit us with their arrows as Morga had predicted.

—We made it! —Goshe yelled with a smile.

—Good job —I said, patting Morga's head as Sensei would have done. He blushed.

—We are still not safe, if the others surround us and this one goes higher, we'll be trapped —Antarc said, remembering us to not waste time.

—Let's go! —I said after a short resting moment, and we all started running again.

Goshe, Morga, and Antarc got out of the shadow of the vessel and gained a few meters of advantage, while I found myself lagging behind again. It shouldn't have mattered, I was still quicker than the sunspots and their arrows couldn't practically do anything to me. But at the very moment I was getting out of its shadow, something fell right in front of me, forcing me to jump back.

—Anchin-sama... —the being in front of me said.

There was a Shadow Servant, with a snake tail instead of legs, a very elaborated kimono as clothes, long silky hair, and tiny horns coming from the sides of her head. It was the first time I had heard one of them speak at all. Her skin, hair and clothers weren't blue anymore, either. She wasn't technically a Lunarian, but if there was a chance of communication, I couldn't just throw it away. After all, Shirou had managed to make Caster join our sides, and she had proven to be really useful.

—H-hello, I think you are confusing me with another person, I'm Phosphophyllite.

—That's no good, Anchin-sama, you know that I hate liars —she said, turning briefly to look at where Antarc, Goshe and Morgan had realized I wasn't following them—, and how cruel of you, running away with some low-life women, that really hurts me.

She seemed to be on the verge of crying, but I could see a dark aura emerging from her.

—Phos!! —Antarc yelled, running towards me with her blade unsheathed.

—Stand back! —I managed to say before I was engulfed by flames.

I had instinctively used my alloy to protect myself, but the intensity of the flames was too much. When dealing with arrows I could just let the viscosity of my alloy to absorb part of the energy and then grab them by the sides, but fire was my weakness. And there was another thing, even if I ignored the pain, I couldn't stop thinking I was using the child I had seen in my dreams as a shield.

—Anchin-sama, you even brought the bell, how considerate of you —the shadow servant said in a brief pause.

I hadn't noticed, but the gold alloy was almost covering me completely, something that it had done on its own. I wasn't sure whether it was that child's attempt to protect me or the intense heat had bent it that way. I was almost paralyzed by the pain, and I'm pretty sure there were flames still burning over my body. So I couldn't do much when I saw her being covered once more in that dark aura, readying another attack.

—Leave him alone! —Antarc shouted, punching the dark servant right on her face. Weirdly enough, it looked as if his fist was covered in ice.


	35. Flash

The shadow servant was thrown against the ground by the force of the punch, but she was able to get back to her feet almost immediately. Her face was cracking, with some parts falling from it.

—Are you alright? —Antarc said as he put himself between me and the enemy.

—Yeah, no problems here —I managed to say, but my body was still overheated. I ignored the pain as much as I could, there were more important matters to deal at the moment—, where are Morga and Goshe?

—I send them to look for reinforcements.

—Good thinking.

—How dare you... keeping Anchin-sama away from me... —the snake lady said with spite in her words, the dark aura glowing once again around her.

I warned Antarc of the incoming attack, but he stood on his ground. The enemy threw fire against us, but before it could reach us, the ice that was covering Antarc's fist before turned into a small shield. It was barely bigger than his own hand, but it was enough to block the more intense flames.

—I see, the ice disperse the heat instead of absorbing it, and since it isn't part of your body, you don't feel a thing —I said, impressed—, but more importantly, how are you able to manipulate ice?!

—Hmmm? This? It's just simple magic.

—What? Since when do you know how to use magic?

—Caster taught some of us how to use magic while you were sleeping.

—Just like that?!!

—It's not a big deal, this is all I can do.

—Ugh... Why nobody told me.

—I had become so accustomed to it that I forget I couldn't do it before.

—Anchin-sama... —the enemy said as she briefly stopped her attack.

It seemed like she had realized just throwing flames against us won't be enough, but I wasn't aware what else she was capable of doing.

—Can you fight without a sword? —Antarc asked.

—I can't just stand there and leave everything to you, can I?

The thought of trying to materialize weapons out of thin air like Shirou did crossed my mind, but we were already on a dire situation for me to get distracted trying to pull a new skill that could be out of my reach. I also thought of reaching into Antarc's bag and use the gun as a weapon. It could still shot bullets in exchange of some of the user's energy, and in the worst scenario, I could make a ship drop over the enemy's head. But I wanted to keep that as a secret from the Lunarians, it would be our secret weapon. Using the alloy in my arms should be enough, as long as I avoided her flames.

The shadow servant jumped against us, Antarc still holding his ground and preparing to block the attack, but I sensed something off about it. I grabbed Antarc by the waist and moved both of us out of the way, just barely avoiding being slashed by the claws of the enemy. That attack wouldn't have been so bad, if it hadn't been followed by a sudden explosion. We were sent flying and tumbling away, fortunately the ground was covered in snow, so we ended up relatively fine. If that had hit Antarc's shield, it would probably had blew his entire body apart.

—Not only can it breath fire, it also can make explosions? That doesn't seem fair —Antarc grumpily said.

—She is also pretty though, the recoil from that attack didn't hurt her at all.

—Are you praising me, Anchin-sama? My skin is that of a dragon, so this much won't hurt me. Understand the situation you are and obediently accept your punishment.

—I refuse to be punished for things I haven't done!

—I see, you keep lying, that will only make your punishment harder.

—There is no way to reason with them —Antarc said, and I had to agree.

We jumped to the attack without really having a plan, as even when we hit her with Antar's serrated blade or with my sharpened alloy we weren't able to do much damage to her. Then, I heard a whisper in the voice of Lapis.

—You already hurt the enemy badly before, didn't you? —he said, and all my attention went towards the damage she still had on her face.

The wound Antarc's punch had caused. Why had that been able to hurt her? It had been a blunt attack, opposite of what we had been trying, but that couldn't be all. I immersed so much in trying to get the answer I started to lost focus on the battle, and she almost got me by surprise.

—By surprise? —I thought, and had a realization.

She was keeping an eye on us all the time, every sudden movement was caught by her eyes or her ears. If she was really indestructible, she shouldn't had to care about following our moves. The only explanation I arrived was that she needed to focus on whatever part of her body we were about to attack and "harden" it. A surprise attack would give her no time to react, but we were already using everything we had. My mind conceived another plan, one that I was a bit reluctant to use, but there was no other choice. I went against her, but instead of trying to attack her, I held her hands and looked directly at her eyes.

—You were right, you are the only woman I need —I said—, I'm sorry I wasn't able to see it before.

—A-Anchin-sama...

—You can punish me all you want later, but for now let's just embrace each other.

I pulled her towards me, and she actually hugged me. My plan was working flawlessly, despite how bad it felt to manipulate her that way. She was as distracted as she could be, but as I look at Antarc through the corner of my eye, I saw that he was too surprised by my actions to attack. It was all on me.

—I'm sorry, I'm really sorry... —I said, before piercing her chest with my alloy.

I looked down, expecting to see an expression full of hate and anger after betraying her so badly, but she was smiling, if only a bit sad.

—Ah... you got me Anchin-sama... could you hug me until I'm gone?

—O-of course.

She started to glow and disperse, but what she said just before going away completely would haunt me.

—Next time, I'll be the one who gets you~

—Wha... what does that mean?! —I yelled.

—Oh, right —Antarc finally regained his senses—, they tend to reappear even when we defeat them. I think I fought that one at least ten times, but it has never been as intense as today.

—D-does that mean I will have to deal with her again?

—Yes, most certainly.

I didn't had time to get depressed over that fact, as I started to feel the weak light of the sun over my skin. I looked up and saw that the sunspot that has been covering us had moved, and now we had the four of them surrounding us. I immediately made a shield to cover us, but with that many arrows trying to pierce it, it would not last too much.

—That which can't be halted, that which shouldn't be halted, growth and development —I heard someone say, though at first it was difficult to realize who it belonged to. It sounded... more mature?

—I am the goddess who commands thy, Potnia Anthropos!

There was a flash in the sky, so bright and unexpected it almost blinded both Antarc and me, if it hadn't been for my alloy blocking its direct effect. Through the intense light, I saw silhouettes approaching us and jumping towards the Lunarian's vessels. One even dared to use my shield as a platform without asking. When I managed to recover most of my vision, I saw small metallic cylinders on the ground, which disappeared shortly after. The Lunarians had been exterminated, and all of our brothers were around us.

—W-what was that? —I said.

—Impressed? That's only the tip of the power of my awakened Noble Phantasm! —Caster haughtily said, her tone of voice returning to her usual.

—They are called flash grenades, the witch is able to summon weird things like that —"Ghost" said as he approached us.

—They aren't weird; they are the pinnacle of thousands of years of engineering! And I'm not a witch!!

We returned to the school as they continued to bicker, and we had a meeting where I warned everyone about the hidden sunspots,so that they would never let their guard down even after defeating three or even four of them. Despite my reluctance to add more chores to Caster, I had to ask her to build something to be able to detect the hidden sunspots. She agreed after I flattered her by the prowess of her noble phantasm. After that, everyone returned to their duties, but I asked Morga and Goshe to give me a moment of their time.

—You saved us by bringing everyone, thank you —I said.

Goshe smiled, but Morga looked away. Goshe hit him with his elbow and forced him to speak his mind.

—Come on, you wanted to ask him something, right? —Goshe insisted.

—It's just... I'm not like the previous Morganite. I feel like everyone else liked him better. Did you too?

I put my hand over his head.

—Absolutely no —I said with a smile—, he was naughty and arrogant, I can't tell how angry I was because he looked down on me all the time. But still... he was fun to have around. You don't have to worry about that, I'm sure everyone loves you for who you are. Even he would have loved you.

—R-really?

—Yes, and someday... I will make you meet him.

I told them a few stories about their previous namesakes, but as it was getting late they went to their rooms to rest. I still had another business to attend.

—Sorry, for making you wait —I wanted to say, but I was hit in the forehead mid-sentence.

It hadn't been a strong hit, just enough to make me bit my tongue.

—W-what are you doing?

—That's what I should be asking! —"Ghost" said, poking me with the numb end of the Gae Bolg—, who allowed you to go touring on the island, huh? I promised my outer layer I was going to protect you, what I was supposed to tell him if you were taken to the moon because you were bored?

—It wasn't because I was bored, Antarc invited me!

—I already chastised him. A perfect record of over a thousand years broken after meeting with you... —he said, looking at the ceiling—. You are not allowed to go out of the school without my approval, got it?

—R-right, but more importantly, I realized something important today.

He sighed —what was it?

—Antarc isn't Ghost, and neither are you. Would you like to get a new name?

—...eh?


	36. Cairn

Very early on the next morning, I dragged the gem formerly known as "Ghost" to the infirmary, where I asked a still half sleep Rutile to lend me a couple of his tools.

—Y-you don't have to do this, you know?

—I can stop if you don't want it, but I think you deserve your own name.

—I... don't really care either way...

—Well then, let's proceed!

I washed the powder off his hand and took a very intently look at it, even using a magnifying glass that Rutile had lying among his things. I had become very skilled in identifying the components of everything, if I had to say so myself.

—You are made of silicon dioxide crystals, so you are also a quartz like Ghost. But this specific color, black but with a hint of yellow when it is against the light... Smoky? No, that doesn't sound right... Ah! I got it! —I said, having finished my perfect analysis and deduction—, your new name will be Cairngorm!

—C-cairn...gorm?

I nodded enthusiastically.

—It sounds good, doesn't it? —I said—. Sounds serious and strong, just like you. It has, like... a pow!

—What's does that even mean?

—I have no idea —I said with a wide smile that annoyed him.

A glint in his eye caught my attention, and I asked him to let me see it on detail.

—Oh, but your eyes still have fragments of ghost quartz...

—There is nothing we can do about that —Rutile interrupted—, only Sensei really knew how to make eyes, and we haven't been able to gather pearls since the ocean froze, so I haven't had the chance to experiment with them. That's why I didn't put your missing eye, which, honestly, it's starting to creep me out.

I took my hand to the empty eye socket on my face. 

—Right, I forgot I was going to ask Red Beryl to make me a cute eye patch —I murmured for myself, then turned towards Cairn—, well, you don't have anything to worry about it, I have been using Lapis' eyes for a long time and haven't suffered any negative effect.

—Are you sure about that?

—More importantly —I said, trying to ignore his jab against me—, we need to tell everyone about your new name!

I took him by the wrist and dragged him to where everyone was gathering for our morning meeting, hijacking the event to introduce his new name.

—Everyone, 3, 2, 1!

—Cairngorm! —the most enthusiastic among us yelled, though I think I heard Melon start to call him "Ghost" before his partner corrected him.

—Bort! You have to say it too, don't hide on the back!!

—Car-Cargomu... what?

—Say it!

—Don't rush him —Zircon tried to defend him.

After a few tries, we get him to at least spell it. Only Caster and Cinnabar were still ignorant of Cairn's new name, as they were working on the former's underground "laboratory" as always. I rushed to go and tell them, but I stopped halfway there remembering that without Cairn himself being there, the presentation would lack the proper punch. So I went back, and saw from the distance that apparently everyone has already left to attend their duties. As I got more closer, however, I started hearing a conversation.

—He was very energetic this morning, just like he was when I first meet him —Antarc said—, even when he was smiling yesterday it seemed a bit... empty. I'm glad he is back to normal.

—He is annoying when he is like that. All this years we had worked together gave an impression you and I had similar points of view about him, but you pamper him too much, just like Sensei used to do —Cairn replied, slightly pissed.

—I can't help having a soft spot for him, it is thanks to him that I have the chance to be here and wait for Sensei to wake up. Besides, he has the tendency of changing the status quo without realizing. He came up with a very interesting name for you, didn't he?

—I guess... but now I feel like there is nothing left of the former Ghost.

—I... I shouldn't have? —I said, coming out of behind a pillar.

—You were eavesdropping?!

—It wasn't my intention, sorry.

—Well, it doesn't matter —Cairn said, looking away—. You know, while carrying our duty on the long recovery chamber, Ghost and me pretended to never notice it. Through the whims of the Lunarians, we sometimes get to recover some fragments of our captured brothers, but we have never gathered enough to restore anyone.

Ghost isn't coming back, its what he meant to say. I didn't know how to reply to that. He turned and looked back at me, with a slight smile on his face.

—Cairgorm... It is a good name, sounds serious and strong. With a pow.

I smiled earnestly, though I saw through the corner of my face at Antarc making a confused expression, which almost made me burst laughing.

—That's right! We need to go and visit Caster to tell her about your new name! —I said.

—Then shall I tag along? I think I also have something to discuss with him —Antarc said.

The three of us went to Caster's room, finding her resting her head against the table.

—Excuse my lack of energy —she said—, I pulled an all-nighter trying to fulfill your last petition, the preliminary results looked very promising, but the experiment ended up in a complete failure.

—She'll be fine once she gets eats some sugar —Cinnabar said, as he stood in a corner near what seemed to be an oven.

With the apron and the mittens he was wearing he looked absolutely cute. Also, the smell of whatever he was cooking was almost making me salivate.

—So, what did you needed? —Caster said, her cheek still on the table.

—We would like to introduce both of you to Cairngorm! —I said, pointing to Cairn.

—Huh? The pebble? Wasn't he called Ghost or something?

—This is his new name, I gave it to him so be sure to remember it.

—Right, I promise I won't forget about it the moment he is out of my sight —Caster sarcastically said—, is that all?

Antarc shook his head and put Rider's gun on the table.

—Phos was able to start fixing the ship.

Caster eyes widen and she jumped from her chair.

—Is that true?

I nodded.

—It will take me a few more tries to fix it entirely, but I can do it.

—How? —she said, as she started walking on circles, but before I could answer she spoke—, of course, you inherited part of Shero's soul, and with that some of his abilities and memories.

—Y-yeah, pretty much it —I said—, do you think you could reinforce it to be able to travel through the frozen ocean?

—Hmmm... I think I might —she said drawing a smile on her face—, with this, we can...

—Yes, we can rescue Shirou! —Antarc added.

The sound of a clearly faked cough stopped the three of us on our tracks, and we turned to where it has originated.

—What might you be talking about? —Cairn said, clearly pissed off—, you surely aren't talking about abandoning your duties to go into an almost suicide mission to the frozen ocean, right?

He lectured us for quite a bit, but somehow Cinnabar out of all people managed to calm him down.

—Even after recovering Phos and with some of Caster's power restored, we are still in disadvantage against the Lunarians. And for what I heard about the last battle, it seems they have been toying with us all this time, letting us win when they still had one or two sunspots hidden. Retrieving Shirou works on the best interest for everyone.

—T-that might be true —Cairn was forced to admit—, but it still will be a crazy thing for the three of you to go and leave this island abandoned.

—It doesn't have to be the three of us specifically —Antarc said, though I really wanted to go.

We kept discussing the details of our plan, reaching the conclusion that we should keep the ship hidden until it was ready to course through the frozen ocean. One thing would be if the Lunarians found us when we were already on route and another completely different was if they knew beforehand and had time to prepare something. Caster suggested that we should send a group of six, enough to defend themselves and the ship even against most Lunarians attacks. In the worst scenario possible, they would have to abandon ship and sink into the ocean, where the ice would protect them from the Lunarian's arrow. Antarc very emphatically told us that the ice itself was very dangerous; it could pulverize us and the pieces will be forever lost in the ocean, so the group should be instructed to swim to the bottom of the ocean as fast as they could.


	37. Communication

After almost an hour of plotting and eating the muffins Cinnabar had made, we returned to our normal activities. Since it was already a bit late and Cairn still didn't wanted to let me go outside, Antarc and I went to help him rearrange the library, activity that he had left unfinished when he and the rest of our brothers were called to save us.

—Cairn, wouldn't it be better if we put the books of Astronomy on the top of this shelf, Meteorology in the middle and Geology at the bottom? That way it would reflect the order in which they are found in real life, and everyone will intuitively search for them... —I started to go on a monologue, but as I looked at Cairn's stunned face I was unable to continue. The way I was speaking must have remained him of Lapis, which made a devious idea crossed my mind.

—I am Lapis Lazuli —I said with a grin.

Cairn immediately started to poke me with his spear until I told him I was joking and apologized.

—I promised to be a worthy substitute, didn't I? I'm trying my best to be the intellectual type like Lapis, so praise me a bit.

—You did say that, but why do you also have to mimic his habit?

—What habit? —I asked, actually unsure of what he was talking about.

—You keep playing with your hair, that's something Lapis used to do —Antarc said, barely lifting his gaze from a book that had caught his attention. I haven't even noticed, but I noticed myself just doing it.

—I... am Lapis Lazuli...

—Stop, my head is about to crack —Cairn said—, change your hairstyle, that's an order!

Almost as if summoned by those words, Red Beryl appeared out of nowhere and "forced" me to sit still while he braided my hair into a ponytail. I seized the opportunity to ask him about the eye patch before I forgot again, and despite me telling him it wasn't something urgent, he made it right then and there. It ended up being a purple patch with the cute design of an indigo butterfly on it.

—We don't have too many materials, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything more spectacular.

—Don't worry, this is perfect! —I said while seeing my reflection. I thought I looked absolutely adorable, but I still searched for Cairn and Antarc's approval.

—It is better, much better —Cairn said, finally being able to relax a bit. I don't think he even noticed the eye patch.

—It is very unique... —Antarc added.

Those weren't the kind of answers I was looking for, so I pouted a bit.

—I'm sure Shirou would think I look cute —I found myself saying.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, with the exception of the meeting we had when everyone returned, to tell them about our plan to rescue Shirou. I heard everyone's opinion about it, and found it weird that Bort didn't oppose to it in any form.

—Why would I? That guy has been skipping his duties for a long time, it is already time to bring him back and make him overwork to compensate! —he said when I asked, but I think at the bottom he did care and was worried about Shirou. Or at least, I convinced myself that was the case.

I also made an attempt to fix the ship, making it appear inside of the school to avoid being seen by the Lunarians. It barely fit on the big hall, but at least we were safe. I was pretty tired by the time I went to my room to sleep, so I just get out of my clothes and slip on my bed, not having enough energy to put on my pajamas. When I opened my eyes, I was again in that dreamscape I had seen before. I was in my old body, but I did had Lapis' head this time. My new cute eye-patch was missing, which was a bummer. I felt someone pulling my shirt, and I saw the kid made of gold standing next to me. I instinctively hugged her and rubbed my cheeks against hers. Of course she, being a part of me, was adorable.

—That's right! Lapis has to be here, I have a lot of questions! —I said, looking around for him, but I noticed that the girl that I was still carrying on my arms was pointing to the sky.

There was some sort of ring floating in the sky, surrounding the island in which I stood. There were also six moons, and a giant black box floating in space. The black box intrigued me, but the ring was what really caught my attention. I knew some planets had ring made of debris floating around them, but ours surely didn't. I looked at it intently, trying to discern its components. I started trembling when I did.

—GHOST!

His shattered body was there, as well as everyone who had been stolen from us. I started running until I got to the ocean, which started freezing as I walked over it. I tried to reach out, but I couldn't reach him with MY arms. They broke into pieces and the gold alloy started to flow from within, helping me reach a bit further.

—Just a bit more, please! —I said, feeling like I was about to reach him.

But I hit something between us, and was suddenly awoken when I rolled out of my bed and into the hard floor. I heard quick footsteps coming in my direction.

—Sempai, are you alright?!

—We heard you screaming all the way from our room!

Goshe and Morga had appeared suddenly next to where I was laying naked, tangled in my covers, and still crying. That was definitely not the image I wanted to give them of me, but they didn't seem to be bother by it. After a few excuses, they allowed me to get dressed in private, and I went to met with Antarc and Cairn. To my surprise, the newbies decided to tag along.

—Are they glued to you? —Cairn asked.

—That seems to be the case... —I said, forcing a smile.

—We'll be working as sempai's bodyguard from now on —Goshe said, very pumped about that idea.

—We can learn some valuable lessons from our elders, I think —Morga timidly added.

Cairn threw me a glare, knowing I had budged after hearing those exact reasons, but he didn't press on the matter. We had patrol duty that day, but it was only going to be us four as Antarc had to take care of the greenhouse. Before leaving, I ate a toast with marmalade, and took a huge cup of coffee to go. Later on the day, I did some sparring with Goshe and Morga, while Cairn lazed around. Then, we heard a whistle. A sunspot has appeared on the twin shores, spotted by Benito and Nepuchi. We had been pretty closer, so we were the first to arrive. 

—How many are really there? —Cairn said.

I looked all around, and I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing.

—There is just that one.

—Really? That's almost boring...

—W-we still need to be cautious... —I said, trying to suppress my reckless nature, and instructed everyone to cover our backs while Cairn and I would deal with it.

Cairn refused to let me carry him, so he instead used my alloy like a jumping platform. I realized that it was the first time I was actually facing Lunarians since I got Lapis' head, and I instinctively started to analyze the type and configuration of their vessel. The input of information was a bit too much, but it helped me that they weren't shooting arrows at us at the moment.

—Wait, they aren't attacking us? —Cairn said, making me realize what was really happening in front of me.

I had been so immersed in the Lunarians, that I didn't noticed the shadow servant that was being held against the "floor" of the vessel. A sundry came out of the crowd and starting playing the flute.

—What are they doing?

—I... I don't know? —I said, but that melody brought memories of a long time ago—, are they... are they trying to communicate with us??

—Phos-sempai! We have come to help! —Goshe said, jumping unexpectedly to attack the central statue of the vessel.

I hadn't retracted the gold alloy to keep the vessel anchored to the ground, but he and Morga had used it to climb it without me noticing.

—Wait! —I tried to stop him, but while I managed to grab him with my alloy, he still managed to cut it in half. That set off the trap.

Four tentacles emerged from the beheaded statue, each with a sharp blade made of Goshenite at the end. They started to move in a chaotic manner, evaporating most of the Lunarians in just a few seconds. I got Goshe away from the immediate danger just in time, but the tentacle managed to cut my arm. Fortunately, both the Goshe and the alloy fell over me, allowing me catch the former and reunite the latter to my body.

—Step back, I'm going to use the spear! —Cairn said as his weapon started to glow with a dark red aura.

The tentacles seemed to react to this, and they all went to attack Cairn. I ran to where he was and tackled him out of the vessel. He did managed to throw the spear even as we were falling to the ground, and the sunspot was promptly pierced by the almost infinite spikes of Gae Bolg.

—Is everyone alright? —I asked, once we had touched the ground.

—My arm is broken... —Cairn said in deadpan tone.

It was indeed a bit shattered, which reminded me that the time I used it as a noble phantasm it almost broke me into pieces, had I not been keep in one piece by the golden alloy.

—S-sempai, your hair... —Morga said, covering his mouth.

—Ah... I'm so sorry!! —Goshe said, starting to "cry" and bowing his head.

I touched the back of my head. The ponytail was gone. There was also a graze on my neck. Had I been a bit slower, I might had lost my head again. I didn't mentioned this to anyone. Instead, I tried to cheer up Goshe and Morga, and told them that it wasn't their fault. I also apologized to Cairn about losing yet another piece of his precious Lapis, which he took surprisingly well and only verbally chewed me for a couple of minutes instead of half an hour. We all went back to home after retrieving the spear before it sunk again in the frozen ocean.

—Were they... really trying to communicate with us? —Cairn murmured, as we walked a bit behind everyone else.

—I think so, but why? Why now?

Neither of us knew the answer, it was just another mystery to add to the list. We didn't know then that we wouldn't have to wait too much for it to be answered.


	38. Assassin

I couldn't sleep that night, I had too many things in my mind. I was a bit afraid of seeing Ghost again and being unable to reach him. I was also confused by the actions of the Lunarians. I looked among my things for the flute I carved so long ago, but I was unable to find it anywhere. It was pretty late and I didn't wanted to bother anyone asking for something so superfluous. I went outside and searched for a branch, then I climbed the school and sit on the very top, where I started to carve a new flute. When it was completed, I contemplated it for a few moments. Without noticing I had added a lot more details that made it look like completely different from the first one I made, most likely due to the influence of Lapis. The more I looked at it, the more I regret carving both of them. The only time I did get to use with an audience of Lunarians, I ended up losing my head and fell into a long dream. I didn't mind suddenly being one hundred and two years older, I didn't mind having Lapis' head. But having lost Ghost, Shirou going missing, and being left out of Cinnabar's life entirely were things I regretted. The funny thing is that I couldn't even remember why I tried to communicate with the Lunarians in the first place.

—Was I trying to convince them to stop attacking us, or was I trying to stop the grail war?

—Neither —someone spoke from behind me.

I had been so focused on my thoughts that he had managed to take me by surprise, I jumped and almost fell from the roof.

—C-cairn, what are you doing here? —I said, pulling myself from the ledge.

—I couldn't sleep, so I came out to get some fresh air. I saw a shadow on the roof, and came to investigate.

—Oh, I see, great minds think alike. Wait, what did you meant by "neither"?

—You were thinking about why you attempted to communicate with the Lunarians in the past, weren't you?

—That's correct; it makes me glad to have you as my pupil.

—Who would be your pupil??

—Never mind that, you still haven't answered me.

—At that time, you told both Shirou and Ghost the reason behind your actions, and I heard about it since I was still inside of Ghost —Cairn said.

—Oh! I see! And then? What was it?

—You suspected Sensei, and wanted to confirm your doubts by asking the Lunarians.

—D-don't... Don't joke around with things like that! —I said, becoming a bit angry—, Why would I suspect Sensei?!

I told myself there was no way that could be the reason. Sensei has risked his life to save me when Rider attacked us, that memory was still fresh in my mind.

—I also thought you were crazy back then —Cairn added—, but he did keep secrets hidden from us, like how he knew about Shiro the dog. I don't particularly mind, but I can see how someone as restless as you might have become paranoid about such things.

Unpleasant memories and feelings started to emerge from deep within myself, and I forced myself to suppress them. I believed in Sensei.

—It doesn't matter; I'm a new person now, more mature and intellectual, with a bigger perspective and more experience.

—I wonder about that...

We keep trash-talking each other, and before we knew, morning had arrived. And just as the light started to illuminate the island, four sunspots appeared right in front of us.

—Perhaps they came to continue yesterday's conversation? —Cairn said, with a forced smile.

—I doubt it —I replied, as the sundries over the vessels that had emerged where already aiming their bows and spears against us.

There were also a few of the muscular Lunarians we saw that one time, and other shadow servants that looked tougher to beat than the snake-lady. I raised my golden shield and Cairn took cover behind me, as he wasn't carrying his spear at the time. As the arrows started to rain upon ourselves from almost every direction, I deflected some in a way that sent them against the bell, alerting everyone inside.

—They try to talk one day and attack us the next, make up your mind! —I yelled, full of frustration. It almost felt as if they were fighting themselves.

Before our brothers got out, another sunspot appeared above the other four. The sundries in this one were fewer, but they had their bows drawn already and started shooting almost immediately. To my surprise, they were aiming to their own kind. The sundries that had been attacking us were as shocked to be attacked by their comrades that they didn't even moved, and were quickly swiped off. The shadow servants did tried to attack, but were overwhelmed by the sheer number of arrows thrown against them. When they had all been defeated, the remaining sunspot stood still on the sky, way too high to even attempt to jump and get on it.

—Phos! What's happening? What did you do now?! —Bort yelled as he got to the roof of the school, his sword unsheathed but still wearing his pajamas.

—W-what do you mean by that? I didn't do anything!

Our discussion was abruptly cut short when we saw something being pushed out of the vessel and plummet towards the ground. It looked like a black sheet wrapped around something. Once it hit the ground, the dark cloth started to unravel, and a person emerged from it, standing up completely still. She was a young girl, wearing a jackal skull as a mask. She had black jet hair, and a couple of jackal ears coming from it. Her clothes were mostly black, with a big collar and some accessories made of gold. The alloy in my body shivered a bit after seeing that. Bort, Cairn, and I came down of the roof, joining the rest of our brothers who had started to show up.

—Phos, what did you do now? —Antarc asked me, and I just threw him a glare.

Seeing that the mysterious being hasn't moved, I started to approach her after telling Morga and Goshe to go and get the still absent Caster. As I got closer, I was waiting to be attacked by surprise at any moment. Fortunately, Antarc, Bort, and Cairn followed me closely, which made me feel a bit more secure. Once we were just a few meters from her, she finally moved, removing her mask to allow us to see her face. She had golden eyes and an almost expressions face.

—Good morning, I am the first servant summoned under the Assassin class, you might call me Assassin —she said in a very inexpressive tone—, do you understand what I am saying?

Those sentences sounded somewhat familiar, but I couldn't remember when I have heard them. She was a proper servant, the first one we had to dealt with in more than a hundred years, and the first one we have to dealt with without having Shirou at our side. She wasn't being openly hostile, so I thought I could at least attempt to reciprocate and see what happened.

—I-I understand you. I am Phosphophyllite, the acting leader of our people. What can I do for you?

—I have come in representation of the Lunarians to negotiate a cease of fire between both groups and the establishment of a mutually beneficial alliance —she said.

—Are you mocking us?! —Bort replied, losing his temper.

—I assure you I am not attempting to make a make fun of you.

This only made Bort angrier, and he reached for the hilt of his sword, but I managed to make him stop by putting my arm between them.

—Why would they want to call of a truce after hunting us for so long? —I asked.

—I am not the best suited to explain it, but the partnership they had with Franny didn't pan out as they expected; now they are forced to work for her amusement instead of for their own goals.

—Wait a moment!! —Caster said as she ran through the door, her scepter raised over her head.

I felt a shiver ran through my skin, something that I would later came to know was Caster putting a protective spell over me and everyone else. I was also pulled away from Assassin and Caster hold me between her arms in a protective manner.

—Why?! —she said— Why would you be helping the Lunarians if they are going against Franny? You are a Servant called by her Holy Grail war! Your only objective should be to see it reach its conclusion!

—Hmmm? Could I not say the same for you, Caster?—Assassin spoke—, Just as you are a goddess of civilization, I am a goddess of death; my duties as such come first. That is something I forgot when I was summoned, but after a hundred years I have started to remember it.

—That's... —Caster tried to give a reply, but found none. Something about what Assassin said has disturbed her, but I was unsure of what.

—So you want us to form an alliance with the Lunarians to go against Franny? —I said, freeing myself from Caster's embrace.

—It is not my desire; I am merely acting as an emissary. But yes, that is the idea behind it.

—Very well, then call them so we can discuss the details of this "treaty" —I said, to the surprise and confusion of many of our brothers.

Bort was the most verbal about it, holding me by the shoulders and shaking me very vigorously. He surely though I had lost my mind for me to even consider making a deal with the Lunarians, but this was an opportunity I had been waiting for. I was too good to be truth, so I forced myself to realize it was most likely a trap.

—I am afraid I was told the negotiations will be held on the moon —Assassin said—, they can't speak freely while being on the planet for their own reason, so that will complicate the negotiation. I give you my promise that you will be returned safely once an agreement has been reached.

—Why should we believe you?! —Antarc angrily said—, your promise means nothing for us!

—I'll go... —I said.

Now it was Antarc who was shaking me by the shoulders.

—I'll be back, I give you MY promise —I said, trying to smile—, because I'll be taking our own goddess to protect me.

We both turned to see Caster still entranced with her own thoughts, until what I said finally seem to sink in her mind.

—You must not be talking about me, right?

After some preparations, mostly convincing Caster and eating breakfast, we were ready to go... to the moon. Assassin seemed interested in the big cup of coffee Caster insisted on taking, but said she didn't want any when offered.

—Are you sure you don't want us to go as well? —Antarc asked.

—Don't lump me in there too, I don't want to go... —Cairn murmured.

—It's fine, I need all of you to protect Sensei and each other in case something goes wrong. Caster and I can deal with anything that happens there.

—What about... you know... —Antarc said, giving a glance to the ocean.

I get the hint, and told him we will follow with what we had planned once I returned. Even if we managed to get the Lunarians to help us end the grail war, we lacked strength to actually do it. Rescuing Shirou was a necessity. Also, I missed him... Assassin gave a signal to the Lunarian's vessel, and it started to approach us. I was surprised there were only six Sundries over it, I had expected to see at least a few more after how brutally they beat their own brothers. With everyone's worriedly looking at us, Caster and I stepped into it, followed by Assassin.

—We'll be coming back soon! —I said, as the vessel started to rise and close.

I could still see everything around us, but it looked gray and monochromatic. Our island soon became a tiny dot on the frozen ocean, and I was unable to see it once we entered the dense clouds that blocked most of the sunlight and heat from reaching us. When we get pass it and I could see the sun once again I felt reinvigorated, and at the same time, nostalgic. A memory of me and Sensei walking though the meadow near the school came to my mind, and I almost started crying.

—Assassin... —Caster spoke—, what did you meant when you said you were helping the Lunarians because you were a goddess of death?

—Oh? Could it be that you haven't figured it yet? —Assassin said, as the vessel shook up a little. We had reached our destiny, and the vessel started to unwrap itself—, the Lunarians are nothing more than the restless spirits of humans.


	39. Praying

We didn't had time to truly understand what Assassin just said, as our senses were assaulted by the sound of drums, flutes, and other instruments, as well as banners wavering and flower petals flying everywhere. I instinctively made a shield to cover Caster and me, completely forgetting that there was a handful of Sundries right behind us.

—You do not have anything to worry about, Phosphophyllite —Assassin said, standing right next to them—, they are merely celebrating your arrival.

The sundries looked so different now, their faces weren't frozen in that creepy smiling expression anymore, and each had a slightly different hairstyle now that they had let their hair down. They also seemed to have tiny bunny ears on their top of their heads too. I peeked through my shield and didn't saw anyone aiming their bows at us, so I cautiously retrieved my alloy. Assassin asked us to follow her and the sundries that had come with us to where everyone else was. As we approached, a tall figure emerged from the crowd. By his clothes and demeanor, I assumed he was their leader.

—Welcome to the moon —he said, in a very casual manner.

—Hehe, so you can just talk like us —I said, feeling a burning sensation on my chest—, YOU TAKE US FOR FOOLS!!!

The sundries stepped back as the alloy in my body started to form spikes aiming towards them, I was only barely able to control myself and avoid going into a rampage.

—I see you are full of energy —the tall one said, the only one who had remained stoic— I apologize for the lack of communication, we despise the thick air in the planet as it bring us bad memories from long ago. Because of that, we try not to breathe while we are there. You are also the first of your kind who tried to establish a communication with us out of your own will. And so, we are thankful that you have accepted our request to come to discuss an alliance between us.

—That's not why we are here —I said, returning the alloy to my body—, you made a mess yourselves, and now you want us to save you. We will help you, but you have to surrender unconditionally to us.

The tall sundry stood in silence for a moment, while the rest of his entourage exchanged glances and murmured between them.

—Very well, we surrender —he finally said, not a single emotion in his words.

That wasn't as satisfying as I expected it to be, but I took what I could. There was also still a chance they wouldn't fulfill their word, and would betray us at the moment they seem convenient.

—Then, all of my brothers that you have stolen —I said—, I'll be taking them back!

—Please, take all you want —he said, extending his arms to his sides.

I didn't understood, we were the only ones there, everything else I could see was the surface of the moon. I started to get agitated again and he seemed to notice it.

—Sorry, allow me to explain myself —he said, and asked one of the others to bring him something, which they promptly did.

It was a hand, made with crystals that I recognized as quartz, one of a particular color that I was very familiar with.

—GHOST!!

—Yes, but this one is artificial. We made it with materials we extracted from the moons and carefully tried to reproduce what we saw while gathering the originals. But I think the real one was your friend, wasn't it?

He dropped the hand into a weird container, which started to make horrible sounds, worse than the reverb that was produced when the Amethyst hit their heads. I had to cover my ears, but it wasn't enough to silence that atrocious noise. After a few moments, what came out from the bottom of the container was a tray with some dust on it. He started to say something about how much grinding it had went through but it was still so rough.

—With this powder, we decorate our world —he said before I chopped his head off.

I fell on my knees and took some of the powder with my hands. He wasn't lying, I could trace each grain's component, there was some of Heliodor, some of Azurite, and even some of Lapis Lazuli. I feel the gold alloy trying to keep in one piece as new fissures appeared all over the more solid parts of my body. Caster hugged me from behind, her skin feel so soft and warm. Having her at my side was probably the only reason I was able to regain my composure. I had to convince myself that as long as we had her on our side, even if they had been grinding into pieces, we could still save our brothers. When I got up, the tall Lunarian was there again.

—You recover faster here, and you don't feel pain, right? —I asked.

—That's right, but it stills an uncomfortable sensation.

—Then, as part of your surrender, I get to kill you three times per day...

—...Agreed —he said, and I chopped it in half. He reappeared just a few meters away in a couple of seconds—, did you get it out of your system already or should I prepare myself for another banishment?

—No, I'm still seething inside, but I'll keep my third time for later.

—Understood. Shall we discuss the rest of the terms of our surrender while we eat?

We followed him to an entrance to an underground building that, despite its location, had pretty high roofs and it was well illuminated.

—We use special materials and oils found on the moons to build our homes and other structures. They melt at night and harden by the morning, so the streets look a little different every day. We use the same materials for the synthetic gems, as well as weapons, clothes, and the like. Since the moons and the planet were originally one whole, their chemical composition it's pretty similar —he kept saying as we walked.

I was following him closely, then Caster and Assassin, and the rest of his entourage. I noticed that aside from them, and a few ones we came across on our way, the whole place seemed empty. As we reached a long staircase, the walls and floor started to melt as he had warned. His clothes also changed, taking into a more "formal" style that I was only able to recognize through Shirou's memories. I almost fell due to the step of the stairs being too fluid, but the tall Lunarian extended his hand to help me keep my footing.

—This way, Prince —a Sundry that was waiting for us at the top of the stairs said, she was dressed as a waitress and took us to a table with four seats.

—Prince, is that your name? —I asked.

—No, but that's how they call me. It is a word our animal ancestors used to call those who had some rank of power and authority, but the word has lost its true meaning with the passage of time. I believe you also use words without really knowing what they meant or where they came from...

—Were your animal ancestors —Caster said—... humans?

—Yes. You might know this better than us, goddess of civilization, but when the lives of humans came to an end they become fragmented into three components, flesh, bones, and spirit. Only the first two return to the earth, and with time, they became their own species. It was only at the end of their history that humans became entirely aware of their spirits, and the fact they were transferred to a place called "the other world", were they can achieve a sense of eternal peace. However, only clean souls, cleared of everything superfluous, can reach that place. For the purification of souls, prayers from living humans are needed. The conglomeration of human souls that did not received prayers, and therefore became stuck on the moon... that's who we are.

He made a pause and look up, the plates with food had arrived.

—Is it clear so far? —he asked.

—What does that have anything to do with us? Why do you hunt and grind us into dust? —I asked.

—We don't have anything against you; it was all to make that machine working.

—A machine? —I asked, and he tried to explain the literal definition of what a machine was—, no, I know that. I mean, what machine in specific are you talking about?

—A praying machine built by humans —he said—, the being you call Sensei.

—S-sensei... is a machine?

—Yes. He was made to pray for the souls when there would be no more living humans. But after some time, he stopped doing his work, either by his own choice, or a malfunctioning of his programming. And we were left stranded here, souls waiting to be purified and move on. For years and years we tried everything to make him do his work again, but it was all in vain. Before our agreement with that woman, our best idea to force him to work was to cause him a shock by, well, go for what he cherished... your kind.

—T-that's the reason? —I said, holding my head with my hands—, that's the sole reason?

—Yes. We hunted and grinded you so that eventually the moons will glimmer with your dust as brilliantly as the sun.

—...

—I don't want to defend the machine, but —he tried to say, but was interrupted by me flipping the table away, and piercing him right through were his heart would be.

He didn't dispersed immediately; I was somehow able to keep him pinned to the physical realm. His face showed that it was indeed a rather an uncomfortable feeling.

—Phos! —Caster said, trying to calm me down, but I was perfectly calm. My fury had reached a state of zen, or something like that.

—Let me guess what you were going to say, Sensei isn't a bad person, and didn't wanted to deceived us, but can't say anything because of how he was programmed, isn't it? We don't have the admin rights to see the more secure files, is that what you had to say? I don't care about any of that!

—H-how? —he attempted to say, either wanting to know how I was able to keep him from evaporating or how I knew anything about how machines, specifically computers, worked. For the former I had no idea, and for the latter I had no intention of telling him. I finally blew him into dust, and after a few seconds, he reappeared from behind a door, still holding the place where I had impaled him and looking sickly.

—Smile, Prince, I already wasted my three opportunities, so you can speak freely without fear of me killing you again... until tomorrow.

—P-Phos, are you sure we should antagonize them that much? —Caster asked.

—How else can I react when their motivation were so vain and thoughtless?! They hunted us and turned us into dust hoping to shock Sensei?! That's not how computers work! And they went so far to hurt him so badly, not even after working for a hundred years you have been able to fix him!

—You are right —the prince calmly said, taking me by surprise—, all of our attempts have ended on a failure because that's what we are, the ones who didn't deserved a prayer from other humans; the worst of humanity. But the one that left him on that state was that woman going against our wishes. She promised us that the meteorite impact would create a blade strong enough to be able to open him, so we could examine and fix him, but instead she used him to damage him. We don't know how extensive the damage is or if there is even a chance to fix him. That was what brought our partnership to an end. However, she used her shadow servants to force us to keep hunting you even when we thought it was pointless without the machine observing it. And even now, she is controlling five of the six moons and has most of our people under her grasp. That's why we are begging you, please, grant us some salvation.

He kneeled, and so did the rest of the Lunarians in the room.

—Our objectives are the same —I said after a few moments—, getting rid of Franny and ending the grail war, and fixing Sensei. You will help us with the former, AND you will help us fix our friends who you stole and grind into dust. In exchange... we'll find a way to send you to your afterlife, only after everything is done and you have atoned for your sins.

—Thank you...

—And once more thing, the food you tried to serve us —I said, looking at our plates that had been thrown along with the table. Assassin hadn't been served anything, and Caster and my plate were still full—, they had meat from the Admirabilis you stole, right?

—Yes.

—Do you NEED to eat?

—No, we just do it because we are accustomed to it.

I resisted my urges to evaporate him once more.

—Then you will also have to stop that, and return them to their homeland.

—Understood.

—There is something I don't get it —Caster said—, you are openly rebelling against Franny, she has to know after you attacked the ones that were sent to hunt us this morning, doesn't that mean she is going to come after you?

—Hmmm, yes, she will surely try to stop this rebellion, as she has done to every previous insurrection in the past hundred years. However, this time, there is something different.

—And what would that be?

A Lunarian entered the room with haste. She was wearing a coat much like Rutile's, and her bunny ears were a lot longer and noticeable. But what surprised me the most was that her face was almost identical to my old one.

—Excuse my tardiness, my prince! —she said, almost out of breath—, I heard the lustrous people arrived already and I...

She turned towards where we were, and jumped in surprise.

—P-Pho-Phosphophyllite-sama!! —she said, holding the sides of her neck.

The Prince put his hand over her head to calm her down.

—Introduce yourself to our guest.

—I-I am Praying Mantis. You can call me Mantis, if that's alright with you.

—It's... it's a pleasure meeting you, Mantis —I said with a smile. She started blushing and covered her face. I wanted to hug her so badly.

—This girl is the difference I was mentioning, she was the one who convinced us to seek for your help, and she also came up with a plan to delay the retaliation of that woman's forces. How did it go, by the way?

—Ah, yes! —she said, making something akin to a military salute—, all of the vessels except for the three we reclaimed had been sabotaged properly, and we have all of the best mechanics in our side. They won't be able to fix them in at least two weeks.

—T-that means...

—Yes. That woman and everyone she is in control are stuck on the other moons for two weeks.


	40. Shadows

—That doesn't mean we have to defeat that woman in two weeks, just that we won't be attacked in that period of time —the prince said, after we have moved to something akin to a bar. We were still underground, but we were now at the border of a crater, with a window open right next to us—, ah, you might already know about it, but that planet over there is from where you came.

There it was, in all its roundish magnificence, but it was mostly covered in gray clouds. I had an idea of how it should look from Shirou's memories, but that was from the world a long time ago. I would have liked to be able to see our small island from there.

—It doesn't matter if she is struck in the moon, she can just throw a meteorite against us at any moment —I said, remembering why our world was in such state.

—Bringing that thing here took her a whole month —the Prince said, calmly sipping in a funny smelling drink—, but maybe she could improvise with something smaller but still destructive.

—We can protect our island —I said glancing towards Caster, who confirmed it with a nod—, but if she attacks this moon, the fragments of my brothers that you scattered over its surface will drift into space. You shall collect them and take them to the planet immediately.

—I understand. But do you really want us to do so? The finest dust will certainly drift into space if we attempt to collect everything. Anything below 4 in the scale of hardness will be lost, including your original phosphophyllite parts, if they are present on this moon.

—T-that's...

—I'll set a barrier —Caster chimed in—, it will prevent anything from drifting from this planet. There aren't leylines in this place, so it will not last for too long, and it will not resist if Franny decides to attack.

—Understood. Mantis, could you manage this operation?

—O-of course, my prince! —she said, bowing towards us. I had almost forgotten she was still there —I won't disappoint neither you nor Phosphophyllite-sama.

—I'm sure you'll do an excellent job —the Prince said, a slight intoxicated tone on his voice—, it has become a bit late, so I'll ask both of you to remain here for the night, we'll take you back to the planet at first thing in the morning.

—Why can't we go now?

—Hmmm, even in this state of affairs, the guild will take my head if I make them work at night.

—The guild??

Turns out, the Lunarians have kept much of their daily routines as when they were humans; they ate the same number of times each day at the same time, and worker the same exact hours each day. Humans used to do it to obtain "money" and be able to buy products and services, but the Lunarians just kept doing out of habit and boredom. After a brief talk in which the Prince told us a bit more about their failed attempts to make Sensei react, probably induced by the alcohol he was drinking, he asked Mantis to take us to our room for the night, as well as give us a tour through the installations.

—I'm sorry if this place looks a bit run down —Mantis said—, this is one of our older homes, and it had been abandoned for quite a long time. The city we have on the third biggest moon used to be our home for the longest time, and it looked a hundred times better than this. We had all kinds of workshops and facilities, top of the notch. Now we have to make do with old tech and whatever we brought with us. Ah, but I'm not complaining, this is for the best for everyone!

—Don't worry about that —I said—, if you don't mind me asking... why does your face look so much like my old one?

—Ah! —she had a small panic attack—, I'm sorry if that has bothered you, Phosphophyllite-sama.

—No, not at all. In fact, it is quite refreshing seeing my old cute face.

Caster threw me a glance, as Mantis blushed.

—I was also wondering if that has anything to do with what the Prince said about you being the one who convinced the rest to seek our help.

—H-he exaggerates about that bit —she said, looking away—, everyone was tired of that woman giving us orders, I just... was spouting some idealistic things now and then. For why I copied your face —she lowered her voice to almost a murmur, as she placed her hands on the sides of his neck again—... a long time ago, when you still looked like this... you chocked me while attempting to communicate with us.

—T-that was you? —I said incredulous. I only vaguely remembered the incident, but she sounded so earnestly I didn't doubt her—, I... am sorry?

—Don't be! At that moment, I was forced to breathe the air of the planet. And as the Prince said, it filled my mind with sad memories. I remember crying for a whole month once I returned to the moon, but then I started to see everything on a new light! —she said, getting really exited—, I started wondering about the reason of our actions, the meaning of our words, how our machines worked. Everything used to be dull and repetitive, but I found a new reason to keep living, and it was all thanks to you!

Mantis told us she mimicked my face in an attempt to re-establish communication, trying to search for me every time she was on hunter's duty, all the while discretely sabotaging the bows and arrows of their colleagues. She even attempted to convince the Prince to stop the alliance with Franny before the meteorite, but while he thanked her for her advice, he decided to go through and fell into Franny's trap. After that, the Prince lost his will and just sat depressed all day. And while all the Lunarians rebelled against Franny at first, they were no match for her shadow and the true servants she still had, especially Saber, Berserker, and the second Assassin. Franny herself could also cause them pain apparently, but I wasn't sure if her method was the same as mine. The Lunarians eventually resigned as their leader has done, but Mantis keep searching for me, unaware that by that point my head had been blown into pieces and stolen.

—I kept saying that you were our only hope, so much that everyone was starting to become tired of it, but one day the Prince rose from his depression and told everyone I was right, and now even Assassin and some of the shadow servants have come to our side!

—Wait, did you said shadow servants? —I felt a shiver run through my back, as just in that moment I saw a figure emerge from a room and lock eyes with me.

—Ah! Anchin-sama!! —the snake lady from before said before jumping against me.

I was thrown to the ground, diminishing the impact with my alloy and readying myself to fight, when I realized she was just hugging me.

—Kiyohime-sama, please don't bother our guest —Mantis spoke.

—There is no way I would be bothering Anchin-sama, isn't that right? —she said, standing up and helping me do the same.

To avoid fighting her, I just nodded. She threw a glare towards Caster until she said she already had a fiancé. That seemed to calm Kiyohime and she dragged us towards some sort of cafeteria, where we get to know the other shadow servants that were on "our side". Only a few of them remember their names or anything about their lives, so most of them had a very limited use of their powers. There was one deemed "Assassin of Serenity" who could make all sorts of poisons come out of her body, pretty much like Cinnabar's mercury, but hers didn't affected me. They were effective against others shadow servants and Lunarians. This has made her a bit unpopular and nobody wanted to work with her, even if they all were able to respawn. Caster also seemed to get a little lightheaded just by getting near to her. I felt pity for "Serenity", and wanted to ask Caster to give her a seal like she had done with Cinnabar, but there were other matters to attend first, and Caster was already overworked.

Another one, "Faust's harlequin" was dressed like a clown, and cackling madly at random times. Antarc had told me about him, he used bombs as weapons, as well as a pair of very sharp scissors. Even Kiyohime warned me to not let my guard down around him, even if he was supposed to be our ally. Finally, there was another who did remember his name, and weirdly enough he had refused to obey Franny from the very start. "Andersen" just sat on a corner minding his own business and actively ignoring everyone else. I didn't get to know each of the other twenty or so that were on the room, as Mantis said it was already pretty late, we had to go to our room so she could start working on the assignment that the Prince had given to her. She had to convince Kiyohime to let go of my arm and return with the others, but surprisingly the snake-lady seemed to listen to her.

—If you need anything, just push this button on the wall and someone will come to attend you —Mantis said before leaving us on our room.

—I think it is for the better if we take turns to sleep —Caster said, and I agreed. We were deep behind what has been enemy lines for quite a long time, and I was not sure I could thrust the Prince—, you can sleep first, I'll go ahead and set up the barrier now that we have the opportunity. I'll wake you in four hours or so.

—Are you going to be fine?

—Yeah, of course. I'm used to go to sleep only when the sun is rising!

—Then I'll be counting on you.

I laid my body on the bed, which was too soft for my liking, and the pillow was way too flat. I somehow managed to fall asleep after rolling on the bed for what seemed to be half of an hour. I then found myself again in some sort of mindscape like before, but this time, there was only pitch black darkness around me. I kept hearing a weird buzzing noise, but it was too far to know what it was or where it was coming from. I looked up and saw the planet at the distance, but more importantly, I saw the ring with everyone's shattered remains floating over my head. And it was closer than from the planet. I could actually reach Ghost from there, if I only stretched a bit.

But no matter how much I tried to reach, I felt as if I was sinking in the ground, and when I looked down, I realized I was actually sinking. Hands and faces started to emerge from the ground and tried to pull me down, the noise I had heard before was their screams filled with despair. I tried to run away, but there was nowhere to run, and nothing to pull me away from them. In a finally attempt, I jumped and tried to reach Ghost, but he was barely out of reach and I fell hard into the darkness, sinking into it by the force of the impact. I tried to get up and escape, but the hands kept pulling me down, no matter what I did. I kept sinking into that dark ocean full of despair, unable to save Ghost, and I started to lose myself into the darkness.


	41. Sleepless

—Phos! Wake up, Phos!! —Caster shook me awake just before I was entirely engulfed by the darkness—, are you... are you alright?

—I-I was having a nightmare —I managed to say. I was shivering and crying.

—I think I noticed —she said, pulling me towards her and hugging me.

Her embrace helped me feel a bit less scared about it, but I still had a weird feeling in my chest, something I could only describe as absolute despair and helplessness. To my surprise, four hours have already passed, so I told Caster to take her turn to sleep. I wasn't too interested in closing my eyes anytime soon, and I was hoping she could get better dreams that I had. She slept like a log and snored all night long. That actually helped me stay awake. After a few hours I got pretty bored, as there was not much to do there, so I went out for a walk. Of course, I left a string of gold tied to Caster's little finger. That way, I will know if she woke up or something would have happened to her while I was gone. In any case, I didn't went too far, just to some sort of public plaza right outside of the "building" we were staying.

The ceiling was made of glass, and according to retracing in my mind the way we had walked to that place, we should be in the middle of the crater we had seen before. I could see another moon right above me. In the middle of the plaza there was a fountain, and around the place there were some "statues" that resembled trees. They all look too artificial, both in shape and consistency, but I think that was the point. Post modern art was something I had a notion from Shirou's inherited memories. Weirdly enough, there were still a few Lunarians walking around or in the shops surrounding the plaza, despite the late hour. One of them was walking with a bunch of small sized Admirabilis, each held by a leash. She had her ears covered by something resembling earphones, with the music so loud I could hear it from several meters away. As she and her "pets" got closer, they started to get wild and ran towards me. Specifically, they ran towards my legs. Their "owner" got dragged through the ground.

—King!! —One of them said, and the others started echoing it when it reached me.

—King!! King!! King!!

—That hurt, what got into you so suddenly? —the Lunarian said as she started to get up—, I'm very sorry, they are usually good kids and...

She froze when she look up and saw me. It might had been something in my expression, but she gave a few steps back and bowed.

—M-miss Lustrous! I-I'm sorry! I heard that we will have to return them to the ocean, and I wanted to walk a last time with them! P-please don't tell the Prince!

I picked one of the Admirabilis and looked at him on what I thought were his eyes.

—I'm not Ruler, but I'll take you with her soon enough.

—Not King! Kind Person! —He said, raising his appendages.

—Kind Person! Kind Person! —the rest repeated.

I put him back on the ground and told him and the rest to go back with the Lunarian, who was still standing very still and nervous. I sighed.

—Don't worry, I won't tell him. I will suppose you have taken good care of them, but this is not their place. Maybe when they go back to their normal selves, you can be friends with each other...

—I-I'll try! Thank you, Miss Lustrous! —she said, before practically running away.

I stayed there a bit more, walked around, and watched the shops through its windows. Some Lunarians offered me a free service in a massage or a free meal, but I politely declined and keep just loitering around. When morning finally arrived I gave up and return to the room. I was a bit more than grumpy though. Not only I had not rested at all, I also hadn't eaten in almost 48 hours. I also think something about the moon's low gravity was messing up how my shards interacted with the gold alloy, and it felt weird. However, I tried to not show it when a huge and bulky Sundry came to pick us up.

—My name is Cicada —the big burly being said, with a way too innocent smile—, Mantis asked me to take you to the port.

We followed him and returned to the surface. Or at least we attempted to do so, because we ended up lost following that giant. He keep meekly apologizing, but insisting on being the one guiding us. I was sure I could have found my way out several times. We ended up finding the exit just by chance, and by the time we got to the port, Mantis, the Prince, all the other Sundries and the shadow servants were already waiting. Assassin got there just after us, still half asleep.

—Phosphophyllite-sama —Mantis said stepping close to us. There were bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't sleep all night—, I calculated the time that will take us to move all of the shards from this moon to the planet.

According to her report, in that moon there was only 36% of all the gem dust they had in existence and only 18% of that was from our brothers. It was an insignificant amount, but we couldn't risk losing it. Separating it from the synthetic dust required specialized installations and a lots of time, but with the constant threat of Franny blowing up the moon, we agreed on taking all the dust to the planet and allow them to built a workshop there. I was sure Bort and some of the others wouldn't be too happy with that, but it will work on the long run if we took control of the other moons. Mantis told us she had convinced the guilt to add two hours of work, which didn't sounded too impressive, but the emphasis on her words made me think it was indeed a big deal for the Lunarians.

—If we use two of the tree vessels we have at our disposal, it will take us five days to complete the transfer. Building the workshop will take us another day. About the Admirabilis, the ones in the planet moved their kingdom and we haven't been able to pinpoint its exact location for around 50 years, but if we have to move them to the surface for the time being, it will take us another day to move them as well. 

—You are very diligent, thank you very much —I said with a smile, but there was something that was bothering—, why would you be using only two of the three vessels?

She looked back at her Prince, who walked ahead and covered her with his body.

—We want to use the third vessel to help you recuperate Shirou Emiya.

—Hmm, so you knew about it —I said with a cold voice, and the Prince even step back a bit.

—Aren't you going to slice me?

—It will lose its meaning if I do it all the time. Besides, I might hurt Mantis and everyone behind you by accident. So, start explaining.

—W-we have machines that are able to detect when and where a noble phantasm is used —Mantis said, peeking from behind his prince—, we saw Rider's gun being used a lot recently.

—One of our earlier attempts to go against Franny involved capturing Shirou Emiya and convincing only him to help us, but he evaded us and eventually disappeared entirely from your island —the Prince added—, we think we know we know where he is, but we have been unable to reach that place due to the very peculiar circumstances of that region. Traveling to that place with Rider's noble phantasm, even with Caster's blessing, might take you at least a week, not accounting for your people's lack of experience traveling on ships. If we take you there on one of our vessels, the travel will be reduced to only three days.

—I see. I thank you for being so considered —I said—, but I refuse.

—P-Phos, are you sure about that? —Caster asked.

—I know I'm being irrational. I'm sorry for that —I said—, but I can let them control all of our actions.

—I... understand, and I apologize —the prince said.

I caught a glimpse of both Caster and Mantis' worried expressions, and after some thought on the matter, I decided to give a small concession.

—We'll work together, as you said we don't have experience in sea faring, and your vessels might be able to pull the ship so we'll get there a bit faster. That way we can have you coming with us, Prince. I want to keep an eye on you.

He didn't rose any objection, simply telling us that they'll get every ready for both the transport of the shards and our voyage. We would meet again in the island in a few hours.

—One more thing, Prince —I said while getting on the vessel—, it seems like it's your nature to be always scheming to be in control. I won't go as far as to tell you to go against your instincts, but if you betray us, I'll keep you pinned down in agony for a thousand years for everyone who ends up being hurt. We won't get old, and I might be able to get creative if I have enough time. Instead, get on my good side, and I'll do whatever is in my reach to make all of you reach your nirvana, got it?

He has stunned for a moment, and then bowed towards me.

—I understand. We will be on your service.

The sunspot closed and we started to get away. Around ten sundries were tagging along to get everything ready for when the fragments arrived, Cicada and Mantis among them. I was using the former's lap as a seat. Assassin also had followed us, saying that she got really bored on the moon.

—Phos, don't you think you are getting a bit crazy with power?

—Hehe, maybe a bit. I will be lying if I said I'm not trying to get some form of revenge by pushing the Lunarians around, specially that Prince. I... I'll try to not let it get on my head.

—Your words will be more convincing if you weren't sitting on one of them —Assassin chimed in.

—He doesn't mind, right? —I said, turning around to look at Cicada, but I immediately jumped away in surprise, as his face and body has turned to that of the giants we had fought before.

—D-don't worry, Phosphophyllite-sama! —Mantis said, trying to calm me down—, we are entering the planet's atmosphere, so everyone has changed their appearance to avoid breathing the air.

—Right, right —I said, remembering what they had told me.

It was only then that I noticed the other Sundries had returned to the forms we were more familiar. Even Mantis' clothes had changed, but she kept her face as it was. She still was covering it with some sort of gas mask that brought me memories of the "plague doctors", but its visor was big and transparent enough to see her adorable face through it. She hesitantly admitted it was not a design made by her; she just copied one of Shirou's old scuba equipment that they had gotten their hands on. When we arrived back at home, the sunspot manifested again in front of the school, and everyone was already waiting there or quickly rushing to get there. Bort, Antarc and Cairn were in the very front, with their hands over the hilts of their weapons. As the vessel opened, I struck a pose, trying to cause a big impression. They didn't react at all.

—Hey, Caster, did they messed up with his mind? —Bort bluntly asked.

—No, though I can see why you ask.

—What is that supposed to mean?! —I angrily asked, before Morga and Goshe jumped against me, followed by Dia, whose weight finally made me fall to the ground.

The vessel was still around a meter or so from the ground, so I only managed to avoid everyone shattering by cushioning our fall with my alloy. It had become something I was able to do even without thinking.

—We were so worried when you didn't return! —Goshe claimed.

—At least you could send some sort of message! —Morga recriminated.

Dia was just tagging along for the hugs.

—Ahahaha... I'm sorry... —Was the only response I could give to my juniors.

Jade and Euci approached us, the later pushing the former's wheelchair through the snow. Behind them, Antarc and Cairn followed.

—W-what happened? —Jade asked.

—They are only a fraction of the Lunarians who choose to rebel against Franny, but we got them to surrender unconditionally. They will return us the... shards they stole from us, but they'll have to build a workshop on the planet.

—What?! —Of course Bort raised his voice, calling me a fool.

—Everything has a reason, and I'll explain it, but right now I'm really, REALLY, hungry. Give me half an hour and I'll be able to explain everything better.

With diverse reactions, they all agreed, and Caster asked me to follow her to her laboratory, where there had to be something to eat. When we got there, after greeting Cinnabar, Caster asked him to leave us alone for a moment. She proceeded to cast a spell on the room to make it sound-proof.

—W-what is this all about?

—Excuse me, but I really don't want anyone to hear what we are going to talk about. That's also why I didn't ask you while we were on the moon. In your nightmare, you saw pitch black darkness, and "people" trying to drag you into it, didn't you?

—Eh? Yeah, but how could you know?

—I had a similar dream, but it didn't scared me as much because I had seen it before. Even here on the planet I can sometimes see it if its orbit is too close to us.

—W-what is it? —I said, but the image was already forming on the back of my mind, a giant black cube floating in space.

—The place from where we servants were called, the origin of the grail war —Caster said, trying to be dramatic—, the MoonCell.


	42. Departure

The MoonCell, as Caster explained it, was a super advanced computer build on the center of the original moon of the planet. Their makers were unknown even to her, as it has been there since before humans appeared. It had stood there for millennia, all through the human history, observing and registering everything that happened in the surface. It was so powerful it could even recreate several worlds inside of it. And when humans died, their souls were stored there.

—But then, what about the Lunarians? —I asked—, wouldn't they also be sent to the MoonCell?

—Indeed. It doesn't make sense that they are still here if they were once humans. Maybe they are lying, or maybe the MoonCell is the place where they are supposed to go after they have received prayers. There is just not enough information —Caster said with her hand on her chin—, but what worries me is the vision we had. If those are the human souls inside of the MoonCell... why were they so desperate?

—You don't have any idea?

—A few, actually, but they are all speculations. We can't waste time thinking about it when we have more important things to do right in front of us. But... Phos —she held my hands and looked directly at me—, when we finish this, could you help reach the MoonCell?

—O-of course! —I said. 

I wouldn't dare to deny any request she could make after all she had done for us. Even more, if everything went right, we will end up in control of all the moons and we could search for the MoonCell at our leisure. She let a sigh of relief, and after asking me to not disclosure this with anyone else, she dispelled the hex she had placed on that room. We started to eat some muffins that Cinnabar had recently baked. Cinabar himself returned after a few moments carrying Shiro the dog, and fed him a couple of the muffins, making him do a few tricks to get them. I felt a bid bad for eating right in front of whom had baked them with him being unable to taste them, but Cinnabar insisted he wasn't interested on eating; only cooking and maybe a bit into seeing people enjoying eating what he had cooked. 

—Phos, I heard you made some sort of truce with the Lunarians. I'm not entirely convinced of their intentions, but that's beyond me —Cinnabar suddenly said—, but what are we supposed to do with those that came with you?

I almost chocked with the muffin I was eating. In my tired and hungry state, I had completely forgotten about them. I rushed upstairs and out of the school, where they were still standing on their vessel, a few meters above the ground. Everyone was still there, and Bort was watching the vessel very intently.

—Hey! What are you doing? Come down here!

—W-we tried, but Bort Diamond-sama keeps glaring and growling at us —Mantis said, as she and other three sundries peaked from the edge of their vessel.

—Bort, could you please relax a bit? They surrendered already.

—I do not like this, and I'm sure neither would Sensei —she said, throwing me daggers with her eyes, but still she retreated a bit.

The Lunarians landed and step on the ground. The vessel collapsed into a small statue inside of a transparent prism, and one of them picked it up. I stood between them and everyone else who had gathered, only Cinnabar and Caster were missing. Assassin said she was going to walk on the beach and left us.

—As I said before, this Lunarians represent a fraction of their tribe that rebelled against Franny because... they needed Sensei, and she broke her promise of not hurting him —I explained to them how many of them were against Franny but were forced to work for her.

Bort was again angry when I told them I had agreed on helping them on their rebellion, almost not letting me explain we would receive our brothers that had been stolen, as well as a cease of fire from them, and we'll have the chance to end the grail war. I also told them that Mantis had sabotaged their vehicles, so the enemies were stuck on the moon and we'll be more or less safe for two weeks.

—We'll have to fight four big enemies, Saber, Berserker, another Assassin, and Franny, as well as several shadow servants. We need to go and get Shirou back.

I then told them I was planning on taking the most dangerous Lunarians with me in case they decided to betray us, and also taking with me the more individually strong of us, namely Cairn, Antarc, Cinnabar and Bort. The latter protested when I said that, as expected. Then Cairn protested when I said we'll be leaving Lancer's spear with Alexi.

—Eh? W-why me?! —Alexi said, looking in another direction as her eyes had been covered for the safety of our guest.

—Yes, why him?! —Cairn said, holding the spear very close to his chest.

—If anything goes bad, he can go crazy and do a lot of damage, the spear fits him perfectly with its long range. The rest of you will have to work together and watch each other back. We'll be back as soon as we can.

They were understandably worried, more when another Sunspot appeared in the sky. It was still early so I was sure it wasn't the Prince yet. Mantis told me they were already transporting a few barrels full with dust from the moon, as well as a crystal they told me will help them build their workshop.

—Where might we set it?

—Mmmm, I would rather like it if it was a bit further from here. I think I know the right place, I'll show you —I told her and went to get up on the recently arrived vessel.

—Phos, would you mind if I go too? —Eucci said.

I could see in his smile he wasn't just tagging along for the ride, but I still nodded and helped him get up. Despite not being his primary objective, I could see he was having fun seeing everything from above.

—Phos, what is the real state of our brothers? —Eucci said when we far enough from the school.

—They were turned into a fine dust and used to cover the surface of the moons —I answered, there was no point in hiding it to him—. The moon that is in our control only has 36% of the total, and only 18% is truly ours, the rest is synthetic.

—I see. And why are they moving it to the planet and building here?

—Franny can still throw meteorites against us, not as huge as the one that clouded the sky, but if she were to attack the moon, several fragments might be lost forever. We needed to prioritize getting them here first, where Caster can protect them and us.

Eucci nodded.

—I'm glad you came —I said—, you are smart and can explain this to the others with delicacy.

—A hundred and two years ago I said I would support you, and I still intend to keep my word. I have another question, though. Why do the Lunarians need Sensei for?

I was frozen for a moment. I didn't wanted to tell anyone else about Sensei's nature. I knew he was more than just a machine, but I didn't think I could explain it properly; even I only was able to understand it thanks to the memories of the old world. I could just say that Sensei's prayers were required for the Lunarians to move on, but... they might resent him for not doing his job before and side with the Lunarians. Even I was a bit bitter, all these years he could have solved our problems easily, but he refused to do so. I... wanted to believe he had a good reason, so I had set my mind to wait until he was able to tell it to me. And until then, I choose to not tell the rest about it either.

—S-sensei's past is somewhat connected to the Lunarians, but they didn't told me much —was the best I could come up at the moment.

—Hmmm... —Eucci looked deeply into my eye, and I'm sure he didn't believed me entirely, but she smiled again and dropped the topic.

—We have arrived to the cliff you pointed, Phosphophyllite-sama —Mantis said, and we got off of their vessel.

—This place is... —Eucci said, a bit confused.

Maybe for him that place was unremarkable, but it was where I had waited for days for Shirou and Ghost to come back after they went on their expedition to recover Lancer's spear. I told the Lunarians they might build their workshop over the frozen ocean next to that cliff. Cicada threw the cristal as far as he could, and after it had hit the ice, crystal spires started to sprout in every direction. In just a couple of minutes, something akin to a building had been formed.

—I'm sorry if it looks a bit jagged, please allow us to fix it a bit before you formal visit to it —Mantis apologetically said.

She took us back home, leaving the other vessel and sundries behind to work on the building, as well as the dust they had brought with them. I finally had some free time, and using whatever energies I still had in me, I finished fixing the ship. It stood in front of the school's roofed pool, as I didn't care anymore about it being seen.

—Good job —Antarc said when she saw me almost breathless on the ground.

—Can you... call Caster? And Cinnabar too... I forgot to tell him... I wanted him to come with us.

I fainted for a few moments, but by the time I regained my senses, Antarc had brought them and explained already what I wanted to say to them.

—A-are you sure I have to go? —Cinnabar said— I have... I have never left the island, and I'm not sure about this whole thing about cooperating with the Lunarians.

—That's why I need you with us. If this is a trap they are preparing for us, I'm doing the same.

—Eh? I-it can't be!

—Yes! This is where the cool and calculating personality of Lapis comes to shine —I said with a determinate look on my face and a clenched fist—. If they are planning on betraying us, I'll set a bait by putting some of the most valuable gems they might sought, but at the same time, those who stand a chance to defend themselves so it isn't too obvious. That's me, Bort, Antarc, Cairn, and you.

—M-me? They never even attempted to capture me...

—Well, you always worked on the night, and they have this weird schedule and hate to work on after hours. After that, when you became Caster apprentice you stopped going outside altogether, didn't you?

—Yeah... —she admitted a bit embarrassed.

—The Lunarians surely will be tempted if you are with us, and if they are really planning to betray us, they will surely fall for it. And we, together, will be able to beat them up!

Cinnabar looked back at Caster.

—Will you be able to protect everyone while I'm gone? —he asked, looking up to the window of the room where Sensei laid—, including him?

—Leave it to me, making barriers have become my specialty.

—T-then —she said, turning to where I was, but looking at the floor—, I'll be on your care.

Having that concluded, Caster proceeded to use her noble phantasm to upgrade the ship, bringing forth the development of human's civilization to turn it into what is known as an Ice Breaker.

—Impressive, isn't it? —Caster haughtily said—, it is sturdy enough to navigate through the frozen ocean, and unless someone forcibly imposes its previous design, it should remain this way even if you make it de-materialize.

She admitted it would be a bit of a burden to have it materialized for days, but a lot less than what I had wasted trying to fix it.

—As long as you eat properly, it should be fine, so we'll be packing some food with you. Goshe and Morga are already picking it up from the greenhouse —she said.

Her words killed every hope I had from our rations being cupcakes and muffins. Veggies and fruits were still good, though. Caster then proceeded to show me something she had been holding behind her back, a small rectangle with some sort of antenna.

—Are these... radios? —I said.

—Yes, with these we'll be able to stay in contact —she said with pride.

I congratulated her good thinking, as with these, the Lunarians will not be able to truly separate us.

—Ah, but don't these have limited coverage?

—Normally yes, but these were made by me. Don't look down on my inventions, you'll need to travel a month in a straight line before you lose reception —she said before laughing haughtily, but after a couple of seconds she stopped suddenly and her expression turned to a more somber one—. J-just remember I made them in a hurry, so they are a bit sensible. Avoid hitting them.

—I'll take good care of it.

The preparations continued, and by the noon, we had moved the ship and everything we might need to the beach next to where the "Shirou' compass" pointed. I keep that and the radio hidden inside of the ship, as they will help us discern the true intentions of the Lunarians. Finally, the third sunspot appeared, with the Prince on it. He was wearing an "oni-mask" that had been modified and resembled somewhat of Mantis' own mask. This apparently allowed him to speak. As he stepped towards me, I noticed he was carrying a huge sword. Bort and Cairn had already their hands on the handle of their weapons, the latter wanting to use the spear one last time, but I stopped both of them. The Prince stood in front of me, and took a knee to the ground, presenting his sword to me.

—Please accept this as a symbol of our alliance —he said. 

I had started to become accustomed to fight without a weapon, but I understood the meaning of it, plus it could turn out useful, so I accepted it and told him to stand. I started to think my warning from earlier might have made him rethink his way, but I couldn't trust him yet. 

—Due to the importance of this mission, I managed to convince the guild to allow us to travel for as many days as we require. All of my brethren and the shadow servants are at your disposal.

I thanked him, and informed him of my choices. Aside from himself, I asked Cicada and some of the regular Sundries to go with us. As it would be too dangerous to be left on the island even if the Lunarians didn't betrayed us, I included Faust' Buffoon too. Assassin was a given, as I didn't know her powers and didn't trust leaving her behind. I asked Kiyohime to also join us too, even if I felt a bit uncomfortable with her around. She would have insisted to come with us anyway, and I expected her "crush" on me would make her stand with us in case a battle erupted. I had to explain to her that the rest of the gems where my brothers, as Caster had suggested me, and that calmed her down. Mantis wanted to go, but accepted to stay behind to supervise everything.

—I won't disappoint you, Phosphophyllite-sama —she said.

With everything ready, we set our sight on the horizon and departed from the island into the frozen sea.


	43. Meeting

The "Wild Hunt II", as we had christened it, was able to move through the frozen sea with ease, even against the wind. The Lunarian's vessel was actually having problems keeping up the pace with us. Of course, if we had used it to reach that place from space it would have been way quicker, but I had made my choice. For the first hours of our voyage everything was pretty uneventful, Antarc was at the helm, while Bort looked through a telescope we had taken from Shirou's room. Cairn was sulking about not having his spear, something about him feeling naked without it. Kiyohime had insisted on traveling with us on the ship and to be as close to me as possible. That became a bit of a problem when I heard the radio turning on, and I had to make some sort of excuse for her to leave the bridge.

—Phos, this is Caster, do you copy me? Over.

—Uhmm, this is Phos, I copy you... Over? —I said, attempting to mimic her speech pattern. There was something about the proper procedure in Shirou's memories, but it was just the bare minimum.

—Phos, we have a problem. I had a hunch, and counted heads, we are missing Goshe and Morga.

—WHAT?! —Antarc and I said, barely keeping our voices from being heard outside.

—Calm down, I suspect they might have stayed aboard the ship when they were loading the food. Could you check it up? Over.

—Y-yes, I'll look around...

I placed the radio once more on its hiding place and went to the small cargo hold bellow the deck, trying to not raise any suspicious. There were several boxes filled with food, enough to keep me with energy to sustain the materialization of the ship for at least a week. In a corner behind these, there was what looked like an attempted campsite, with Goshe and Morga playing cards near one of Caster's warming orbs. Morga had Shiro the dog between his arms. Both my juniors and I didn't know what to say for a few moments after our eyes met.

—I-Incredible, Phos-sempai! You were able to find our hideout on the first day! —Goshe said.

—This was your idea of a hideout? —I asked—, moreover, what are you doing here? This mission might turn sour really quickly and everyone back at home could need your help there!

—Ah, well, you see... we thought it really didn't make any difference if we stayed or if we came with you, and we swore to be bodyguards, right, Goshe?

The red haired one nodded timidly. I sighed. Their recklessness and disregard for the authority reminded me of someone, but I didn't wanted to remember exactly who I was thinking about. I felt like going back to the island and then retrace our steps would be a huge waste of time, so I decided to just keep going on with them aboard.

—Fine, you can stay, but you'll have to make a lot of chores to make up for disobeying me.

—Yay! —Goshe said with enthusiasm, and hugged Morga.

I took an apple from one of the boxes and told them to follow me upstairs. I had to tell everyone that I had found them when I went to look for a snack, and later on I told Caster they were safe with us, alongside Shiro.

—Ah, I didn't saw him either, but I suspected he was somewhere on the island looking for Cinnabar. Over.

—We'll continue as planned, keep me informed of anything weird over there. Over.

—Got it, take care of everyone there. Out.

I sighed, hid the radio once again, and returned to the deck. For Morga and Goshe's punishment, I went for the old tested method of making them clean all the deck. They found a way to enjoy it by making it into a competition. Cinnabar looked less nervous now that he could held Shiro on his arms. When night fell, everyone went to sleep on the holds, taking advantage of the glowing orb that the juniors had brought with them. Cinnabar and I took turns holding the helm, as we were the most accustomed to go pulling all-nighters. Cinnabar definitively didn't had Antarc's steady hands though. The movements of the ship made me doze off a few times while I was off-duty, but at some point just before the dawn, I felt my legs cramping.

I moved Kiyohime away, who had fall asleep using my legs as a cushion, and went for a walk to stretch a bit before relieving Cinnabar and letting him sleep a bit. That's when I realized we had another hitchhiker on the ship.

—Ah, Phosphophyllite, was it? Could you held this lantern still? I can't be expected to write in these conditions —said a "kid" with blue hair, but his voice was too deeper for what I would have expected.

—A-Andersen? What are you doing here?

—Huh? I'm here because I wanted to; why else would I be here? Now, could you hold the lantern?

This man's mind was too absorbed on his own world. I suppose it was foolish of me to expect any rationality from a shadow servant, moreover someone who had supposedly defied Franny from the moment he was summoned. I just stretched the alloy in my arm and did as he asked.

—Perfect. Now stay still.

—How long am I supposed to stay still?

—Well, the sun is about to rise, but the proper light will take some time to reach us. Around two hours.

I didn't even bother to react to what he said, I just left my hand behind and stretched it as I returned to the bridge. Cinnabar didn't said anything, but the look on his face was enough to make me feel a bit ashamed. I even started to suspected he was using his noble phantasm against me, whatever it might be. We crossed a storm later that day, but the Lunarians were able to close off their vessels, and we remained on either the bridge or the cargo hold. By the time the sky cleared a bit, we only had a few more hours of light. I was resting to be able to go through the night again, when three of the sundries jumped down and landed right in front of me. My first thought was that they had finally decided to betray us, but they weren't even carrying their bows. Instead, they had a weird instrument with lots of buttons; each made a different sound when they were pushed. Through this, they were able to communicate, albeit in very short sentences.

—If I understood correctly —I said to Bort after they had "explained" a message they wanted me to relate to him—, these three are your fans.

—Are you an idiot? —he replied.

—I'm only telling you what they told me!

—That's precisely why I am calling you an idiot! You must have heard it wrong. There is no way the Lunarians who had hunted us all this time could feel admiration for any of us!

—It. Is. True. —the box said as one of the sundries pushed its buttons very intently— We. Ad. Mire. Your. Stre. nght. And. Your. Gra. Ce.

Bort make a weird face, halfway between disgust and incredulity, and then turned and tried to get away from them. The three Sundries of course followed him, using the box to tell them how magnificent their movements were when they fought.

—Argh! I got it already! Leave me alone! —he said after a few minutes, fleeing to the cargo hold.

I couldn't help but smirk, but my enjoyment didn't last for long, as Antarc called me to the bridge.

—The compass and the other instruments of the ship had been acting weirdly for a few minutes, but the candle keeps pointing forward —he said.

I tried to call Caster using the radio, but I could only hear static. This was starting to make me feel nervous. I got out of the bridge and jumped to the Lunarian's vessel.

—I would presume your instruments have started to fail —the Prince said—, ours have too. As I told you before, there is an anomaly in this zone that has stopped us from seeking both Shirou Emiya and the Admirabilis.

He told me how big the area affected by the anomaly was, but I didn't really understood it. It was unnecessary to ask for more details, as we were being guided by the candle, but I still didn't wanted to reveal its existence to the Lunarians.

—We'll keep traveling on a straight line for now, if we are unable to find something in a couple of hours, we'll go under the frozen ocean and search around.

He accepted my idea and we continued moving forward, with almost everyone looking for anything of interest over the ice. The clouds in that zone were darker, the wind was chiller than before, and there was a mist that almost reached the deck of the ship. I was in the very front of the ship, using the telescope, when I thought I saw something in the distance. It almost looked like a tiny island, but the mist didn't allowed me to see it properly.

—Phosphophyllite —Andersen spoke, having placed himself at my side before I noticed him—, didn't your friend came to the ocean to look for the Admirabilis?

—Y-yeah, what about it?

—The same Admirabilis that the Lunarians hadn't been able to locate, due to this anomaly messing with their instruments.

—Are you saying they are helping us just to capture more Admirabilis?

—Far from it, they are really distressed about their conflict with Franny. What I mean is, what do you think would happen if the Admirabilis were to see you in their territory being followed by Lunarians?

—T-that's!! —I tried to say, but the sound of the ice being torn apart shut me up.

A colossal figure emerged from the ocean in front of the ship, around 10 or 12 meters away. It's silhouette was pretty familiar to me.

—L-Livy!! Wait!! —I yelled, but it was in vain, the giant Admirabilis was already spitting a stream of water against the Lunarians.

I couldn't let them get evaporated and away of my sight, so I foolishly jumped in the path of the stream, blocking most of it with the blade that had been gifted to me. I, of course, went flying towards the Lunarian's vessel anyway. Cicada caught me, and even the Prince got a hold of me as the whole vessel was being pushed away. After a few moments, the Admirabilis stopped the attack and submerged. I was still on one piece, but the alloy keeping all my pieces together was vibrating wildly. I couldn't stand on my own, and I started to have flashbacks to that time my head blew up. Suddenly I didn't feel secure in the embrace of the goofy Cicada, but he didn't attempted to capture me. Those days were gone, I said to myself. As the shaking diminished, I was able to see what was going on the ship, finding something that I didn't expected so see. There was a very tall and humanoid Admirabilis fighting against Bort, Cairn and Antarc, and she was able to keep up with the three of them. She was wielding two swords at the same time, and her fighting style was also very familiar to me. Goshe, Morga, and Kiyohime tried to help them, but other Admirabilis jumped out of the ice and boarded the ship. Kiyohime probably could have defeated all of them, but I had asked her to not use her noble phantasm aboard the ship. Faust's Buffoon offered to help with a huge grin, but I cut his words short. His bombs would be worse than Kiyohime's flame.

—I have no offensive capacities —Assassin said, reminding me she was traveling with us.

—Cicada, I'm feeling a bit better, carry me and jump to the ship! —I said, he nodded and obeyed without questioning.

He fell right in front of the bridge, and through the window I saw Cinnabar cowering in a corner and hugging Shiro. I couldn't entirely blame him, he hadn't fought in quite a lot and this looked very bad. Using his mercury against the Admirabilis would be pretty bad for them, so I was actually relieved he hadn't entered to the battle.

—Wait, we are not your enemies! —I said toward the taller Admirabilis, who seemed to be the leader, or at least the strongest among them.

—Do you think we are fools? You have brought with you the hunters we had evaded for so long!

—Told you —Anderson was once more at my side.

—T-that's not it! They surrender! —I said, but the Admirabilis didn't bother to reply.

—It's no use, if you want them to listen, we have to beat them and force them to listen! —Bort said before attacking on his own.

The tall Admirabilis smirked, and I immediately stretched my arm and pulled Bort back. Just then, she spit a stream of water in his direction. Surprisingly, it managed to cut one of Bort's arms without much trouble. If I hadn't pulled him away, she might have cut him in half. This apparently pissed off the Sundries that were part of his fanclub, as they immediately started shooting arrows against the Admirabilis. She bounced back most of them, but had to jump back when Cicada finally read the situation and went into attack mode. Bort also snapped out after a few seconds in shock, and jumped back to the fight after grabbing his sword with his remaining arm.

—Retreat, we are leaving this to Bizz! —the tall Admirabilis said as she saw who the situation was turning against them.

She jumped back to the ocean, and the others followed. A few seconds before, the giant one emerged right in front of us, ready to blast us away with her jet stream. I ran toward her, trying to block the attack once more. But from this close, I wasn't sure it wouldn't just be torn into pieces. My head started feeling heavy suddenly, and I fell to my knees. All I could see for a couple of seconds was an extremely bright light, but after that I started to see some silhouettes. Giant gears spinning on the sky and an uncountable number of blades piercing the ground. I recognized that place, but I didn't know from where. My vision cleared after a moment, and I was able to see that something had stopped the steam of water, an ethereal shield that resembled a flower pattern.

—That's enough, they aren't our enemies —someone said, and the voice sounded a lot like his.

The giant Admirabilis started to release steam from her body, turning herself into a small humanoid being. The mist started to clear right after that, and I was able to see how the Admirabilis reunited around a man who was approaching us.

—Teacher, why are you stopping us? We were about to beat them! —the tall Admirabilis said, almost in a demanding tone.

—Ondyne, please sit down for a moment.

—E-eh? B-but? —her attitude changed suddenly, trying to find excuses and objections, but ultimately obeyed.

She even covered her head with her arms as if she was expecting him to hit her with all his might. Instead, the man barely put any strength on that chop strike.

—T-teach... Teacher hit me!! —the Admirabilis yelled and started to cry as a baby.

—Captain, you are making us look bad... —one of the other Admirabilis said.

—Shut it!! Teacher has never hit you!! This is a indescriptible pain on my heart!!!

The smallest of them hugged her and tried to console her.

—There, there. Teacher doesn't hate you, he was just correcting you.

I was flabbergasted by that scene, but something, I think probably Lapis, made me snap out of it. I jumped to the ice and give a few steps towards them, but I was unable to continue. That man was only wearing rags; he was barefoot, his pants were the most complete piece of clothing, and his chest was also exposed, only his arms were wrapped with red cloth. His skin had tanned a bit, and his hair had turned completely white. His eyes were covered with another red cloth, but that didn't seem to bother him. In fact, after he had finished reprimanding his "students", he immediately looked at where I had been, despite me not making any noise. He then approached me.

I started to panic a bit, it has been one hundred and two years since I had seen him, but to me it hasn't been more than a week. My mind was filled with all sort of thoughts, I wondered if he would be able to recognize me or if he would think I was Lapis, or how could he even know who we were if he had his eyes covered, and why he had his eyes covered on the first place. He stood right in front of me, making me come back to reality.

—I'm sorry —he said—, for making you come all the way to look for me. And for leaving before you woke up. All these years there is something I have been waiting to say, please excuse me if it isn't the right time, "good morning, Phos".


	44. Distortion

I had been thinking about what I would say since I was informed of his disappearance, practicing several iterations of the conversation we could have when we finally met again. But now that I had him right in front of me, I didn't know what to say, my mind was completely white. The gold alloy between my cracks started to move on its own and pushed me a bit towards him. I got the hint, if I didn't found the proper words; I just needed to show it through actions, right? I got a bit closer and hugged him. After a couple of seconds, he returned the hug, with a bit more force than I expected, but his skin felt way softer than I remembered. He felt like Caster when we were on the moon, and even before when I had touched Ventricosus. I could also hear his "heart" beating. At that point, I finally realized what I wanted to say.

—I missed you so much —I was barely able to whisper.

—Ahem! —Antarc faked a cough to call our attention, not close enough to hear what I had said. Hopefully.

We let go of each other and saw that most of our brothers were getting off the ship to greet Shirou. I felt Kiyohime's piercing eyes watching me from the deck, but I didn't dare to look in that direction just yet.

—I'm glad we didn't had to find you passed out in the deep of an ocean trench —Antarc said.

—You managed to survive, but I'm not going to let you off the hook after leaving your post for so long —Bort added.

Goshe and Morga were very excited to see someone they have only heard about, and asked him lots of questions about his fights and exploits.

—Have you been eating and resting properly? —Cinnabar asked after greeting him in a very polite and formal way.

—Eh? Ah, sure, thanks for worrying —was the only thing Shirou could said.

I could imagine it was very weird for him, as the last time he had seen Cinnabar had probably been before he had his mercury sealed off, when he was even more of an introvert. Cairn was the last of us in approaching him, I had to go and drag him to the front.

—This kid is the one who used to be inside of Ghost, I had graced him with the name Cairngorn —I said, very proud of myself.

—I know... —Shirou said, a bit less enthusiastic than what I would have expected.

—He-hey —Cairn dared to say—, I'm glad to see you still in one piece...

Shirou didn't answer; he just crossed his arms and stood in silence.

—Come on! You can't be still be mad about that? —Cairn said, pointing towards me—, Phos is fine! You didn't had anything to worry about.

—W-wait, what is this about? —I tried to chime in, getting a weird feeling out of that part of the conversation.

—Ah, well, you see... —Cairn said, looking away.

—I didn't agree with them putting the head of Lapis on your body —Shirou finally said—. There was a chance Lapis could overwrite herself over your body, or so said Ghost. Rutile said you might not even be able to wake up at all. I told them I rather let myself get captured and get your head back from the moon.

—WHAT?!

—I dissuaded him of doing something so stupid —Antarc said—, and we agreed that the majority would decide. It ended up in a draw between the two groups with some refusing to cast a vote to either side, but it was Cairn's vote who decided it.

—If we had captured Emiya Shirou at that time, we would have willingly give up the head of Phosphophyllite in exchange for his help —the Prince said, as their vessel got to our level.

The Admirabilis immediately got ready for the battle, but Shirou stopped them again.

—I never expected you to come here personally, Prince Aechmea.

—You know him?? —I asked Shirou, then I turned towards the Lunarian—, your name is Aechmea?? —then I turned back to Shirou—, how do you know his name??

Shirou told us that the sword that had blown my head into pieces was made with one of his former arms, and he was able to regain some memories from the time he had been on the moon when he recovered it. In exchange, I told him about our alliance and the Lunarian's surrender. He didn't look too convinced about their true intentions, but agreed on cooperating.

—I have taken the Admirabilis under my protection for several generations, if I could create a pacific world for them and for you, I couldn't ask for more —Shirou said with a smile—, wait, what I'm even thinking about, I haven't introduced them yet!

He called the Admirabilis to where we were, and told the very tall one and the smallest of them to step ahead.

—These are Ondyne and Bizzmark , they are the granddaughters of Livy —he said.

He then introduced the rest of the group, Bulldog, Glowworm, and Sheffield. They were the "new generation" of the warrior caste, still in training under him. Their parents and relatives, all having been trained and practically raised by him, were protecting the rest of the Admirabilis' kingdom. Then he casually mentioned my name and they lost their minds.

—Wait, "Phos"? Phosphophyllite? THE Phosphophyllite??! —Bulldog, who was a bit chubby and with a face that indeed resembled that breed of dog a bit, said.

He and the others started to surround me and asking me if my legs were indeed made of the shell of their ruler's ancestors and if I had fought alongside with Livy. It kind of reminded me how the feral Admirabilis had jumped over me on the moon. I tried to answer their questions, but it seems like in the one hundred and two years I had been slept some legends had been formed around me. After the commotion had settled down a bit, I made the mistake to ask them about Livy. Their faces turned sour and some threw glances to the Lunarians.

—Grandma fought for years to protect us, until Teacher got here —Ondyne said—, she got a few years of peace, but died while still being young due to her injuries...

I felt as if my gold alloy was boiling. I knew expecting her to still be alive would be too much, but she was just a baby when she left us. If Shirou had reached this place 50 years ago, which I somewhat doubted, Livy would had fought mostly on her own for 53 years, and died shortly after that. I lost control for a moment, and just stretched my arm toward the Prince with my fingers sharpened as knives, cutting him into pieces in the blink of an eye.

—W-wait! —I told to myself, realizing what I had done.

The Lunarians had already seen me cut his leader before, it was part of our deal, but I feared they could react to the attack and break the alliance. Moreover, the Prince could materialize back at the island and order an attack on all our brothers. I had warned him of what would happen if he betrayed us, but honestly if he stayed on the moon, I wouldn't have any way to reach him. However, the Lunarians didn't seem to be upset, instead they were looking at the ground, shaking and hugging themselves, almost as if expecting to be the next victim of my anger. And to my surprise, the Prince materialized right there. He picked up his mask, which had remained behind, and approached us a bit.

—I'll accept whatever punishment you seem fitting for our past actions, but please spare my brethren —he said, lowering his head.

—H-how...? Didn't you needed more time to regenerate here?

—That's because I'm here, I'm the goddess of the dead after all —Assassin said, peeking from aboard the ship. 

She was reading Anderson's book while keeping him at enough distance to prevent him from snatching it away. I saw Shirou step ahead, with an incredulous look on his face.

—It can't be... —he said— Miyu?!

—Miyu? —Assassin said, showing for a moment just a hint of confusion on her face— Ah, that must be the name of the owner of this body. I remember hearing that you had a connection with all of our containers, Emiya Shirou. But I'm sorry, I'm not her.

—I... I see. Sorry —Shirou said.

Despite him having his eyes covered, and his best attempt to hide it, I could perceive those words had hurt him badly. I too could feel something crushing the insides of my chest.

—Are you alright? —Cinnabar asked.

—Yeah, I just... I think I have become a bit weaker over the past 100 years —He said, forcing a smile. 

After talking a bit more, he agreed with going back with us to the island and helping us in the attack against Franny.

—But I have to do a few things before I can leave, would you mind staying the night?

—If it is only one day, I suppose we still have time, but—I said, and then I signaled him to come closer so I could whisper something in his ear—... Caster gave us a radio and I want to tell her we found you and ask how things are going over there, but the radio doesn't work here.

—Oh, right, the electromagnetic distortion. I can actually lower it enough for you to transmit, though it would be a bit distorted.

—That would be great! —I said, not entirely understanding what he meant.

He asked us to follow him to that island I had seen before. While moving the ship closer to it, I discreetly took out the radio out of its hiding spot and put it inside of my body, alongside my gold alloy. It felt weird, but I could stand it, and the radio was concealed perfectly. After a couple of minutes traveling at low speed, we arrived at the island. It was really small, barely big enough to fit our school over it, and it only had what seemed to be a cave on it. He called all of our brothers to the entrance.

—Could you wait here for a moment, I don't trust the Lunarians quite enough. Ondyne, Bizz and the rest will support you if anything happens —he said—, but Phos, could you come down with me, I want to show you something. Bort too, I might have something to glue your arm.

The two of us followed him to the inside of the cave and through a metal door with locks more complicated than anything I had seen before. Before he even attempted to open it, he turned towards us and "scanned" us by placing his hand over our foreheads. Bort went first, and there was nothing wrong with him.

—Huh? —Shirou said when he had "seen" through my components, raising an eyebrow behind the cloth covering his eyes.

—I already know I'm weird, don't make me feel embarrassed about it! —I replied. 

My body contained more separated components than anyone else, and there were other two beings inhabiting on it, if my dreams were reliable in any way.

—No, that's not it; I thought I could sense something like diamond, but... never mind, it might have been dust that got stuck on your alloy, that small quantity shouldn't affect you in any way.

—Diamond dust? Perhaps some of Bort's landed on me when they cut his arm?

—Keep it, I wouldn't want anything that has been touched by your inclusions —Bort said, drawing a slight smirk on his face.

Shirou opened the door and told us to follow him, making us forget about that small fight. The hallway at the other side had a constant drop, with stairs going on and on. The walls seemed to just dirt and stone, and there were some bioluminescent plants hanging here and there. The stairs were pretty much just carved stone at first, but we soon started to step on metal. The walls also became metal, and the large corridor was illuminated by "light bulbs" on the ceiling. We went through another door, and reached an "elevator". Bort wasn't sure what to make out of it, as he didn't had any idea how it was moving down on its own. When the doors opened, we were in a big room, with many doors in every wall. There was another floor below that we could see through a veranda, and it seemed to have the same distribution, with a small garden in the center.

—W-what is this place?

—It is a leftover of the human civilization —Shirou said—, some sort of bunker. It seems like people lived here even after the apocalypses wiped out everything on the surface, but I'm not sure for how long. It was on ruins when the Admirabilis found it, some parts of it are still flooded, but this section was mostly intact.

—Shirou —Bort said suddenly, cutting into Shirou's exposition—, you can merge your parts together without glue, so you wouldn't have need for something like that for yourself. That can only mean one thing. Are you hiding another lustrous here?

—You are very perceptive, but that's not quite it —he guided us towards a door, labeled as "Infirmary" and opened it. There were two persons in that room already, too immersed in their work to notice us, at least until Shirou spoke.

—I'm hiding two —He said with a sly smile.

—Oh!! I can't believe my eyes! —One of them said, approaching us with haste. He was wearing a uniform very similar to us, but of a very low quality compared to those made by Red Beryl, and he was also wearing a doctor's coat like Rutile. He had a pair of very weird glasses, which he proceeded to put over his head. His hair was opaque green with spots of different shades.

—I'm Malachite! It's a pleasure finally getting to know my long lost brothers! —he said, eagerly shaking both Bort and my hands in intervals —I can wait to get to know all about you two!!

The other one approached us slowly, almost dragging his feet. His movements were a bit... off. His clothes, however, were mostly identical to ours, at least to the old models from a hundred years ago. His hair was dark purple with some darker lines that make it look as if he was shattered.

—Sugilite is Sugilite's designation —he said in a deadpan tone.

—Shirou, explain?? —was the only thing I could say.

—The Admirabilis found Malachite walking through the bottom of the ocean a long time ago. She releases a toxin when she is in contact with water, so they had to put her somewhere dry or she would have poisoned the entire ocean.

—I already said I was sorry, I didn't know what I was doing —Malachite said, pouting and with his arms crossed.

—When the Admirabilis brought me to met her, she wasn't carved and acted impulsively. I carved, dressed, and tried to educate her, but I failed miserably on the last one.

—What is that supposed to mean, Teacher?? —Malachite said with a slightly disturbing smile.

Shirou ignored the threatening glare of the green haired lustrous, and moved next to the purple haired one.

—As for Sugilite, it is a bit more complicated —he said—, she appeared ten years ago, just walking through the frozen ocean as if she was a lost kid. She was already carved, painted and dressed like all of you. When I first heard about it, I thought you had came to look for me, and I went to meet with those who had find her. I had told the Admirabilis that the lustrous people were our friends, but they still feared the wrath of Phosphophyllite. That might have saved their lives.

—What do you mean?

—It was only because they approached her with cautious that they were able to defend themselves when she started attacking —he said.

I couldn't believe the lustrous in front of us, who seemed tired just by staying put, had the energy to attack anyone, much less the motives to do so. But to our surprise, he confirmed it.

—Sugilite was ordered to look out for the Admirabilis' homeland and for the individual known as Shirou Emiya, as previous recons had turned into failure due to the magnetic anomaly —he said—. Sugilite had been authorized to use lethal force, but it was preferable if Sugilite just subdue the Admirabilis to allow capture.

—Capture... then...

—Yes —Shirou said—Sugilite is an artificial lustrous made by the Lunarians.


	45. Static

During our short trip to the moon, Aechmea had told Caster and me about their previous attempts to convince Sensei to help them. One of them involved creating synthetic body parts with artificial inclusions, and either replacing parts of one of our kidnapped brothers, or building a completely new but fake lustrous. However, according to him, they had never been able to make them do anything besides standing in place. Sugilite looked lethargic, but he had life of his own.

—That idiot prince lied to me! —I said, wanting to return to the surface and cut him again. Only then I noticed I had left my sword lying on the ship. Not that it mattered, my claws should suffice.

—If you are speaking of the former ruler of the Lunarians, he wasn't involved in Sugilite's development —Sugilite said.

According to him, he had been created by the head of the science department, who was technically Mantis' boss. I had heard before that he was one of the few who they hadn't even attempt to persuade to join their rebellion, as he seemed to enjoy working for Franny.

—I removed most of the "programming" that the Lunarians put on her inclusions' DNA to make her follow their orders —Shirou said—, it looked like the work of an amateur, but it was so messy it took me years to remove it all.

Borted looked very confused at the mention of DNA, so I had to give him an oversimplified explanation of what it was. Granted, my knowledge was only what Shirou had learned as a highschooler, but it included all the basic concepts. I made a mental note to ask Shirou to help me write everything in our collective memories from the old world once this war was over.

—But still, I'm pretty impressed you were able to see and modify Sugilite's DNA.

—I had a lot of time to practice, and fixing this place also helped me develop my abilities —Shirou said—, though I admit I messed up at first and... killed a few pieces of her.

—Sugilite isn't mad about it —the moon-made lustrous said, not showing any visible emotion, but his words were able to raise Shirou's spirit a bit.

—That reminds me. I need you to keep both of their existences as a secret, at least for now —Shirou said— Despite what I did, I'm not sure how Sugilite could react to our "guest", and if they were to capture Malachite they could force the Admirabilis out of the ocean by poisoning the water.

—I understand —I said, and Bort nodded in agreement—, but once we have finished this, we'll come back to take them with the rest of us.

—Really?! —Malachite said, grabbing Sugilite's hands and jumping excitedly— We'll meet our brothers, all of them!!

—Yay... —Sugilite said once again with a deadpan tone, but I think I saw a slight smile on her face.

After that, Shirou asked Malachite to treat Bort's arm. She went and grab a jar from a shelf full of similar containers, and started applying its green and mushy content on both parts. The cut had been pretty clean, so putting the two pieces together wasn't a problem. Their "glue" however, wasn't as effective as the one we had back at home, so they had to bandage his entire arm to keep it in its place.   
I took the opportunity to look around for a bit, the other containers had weird pastes and powders akin to those Rutile used, thought these had been most likely obtained from the bottom of the ocean. Their waterproof cream was more effective than ours, according to Shirou, but it was way more viscous.

—It is horrible, and I have to use lots of it whenever we have to look for stuff under the ice, just to be sure —Malachite said, shivering—, that's why we had been trying to fix this diving suit.

There was indeed some sort of suit on the table, the project they had been working on when we got there. It was nothing like I had seen, even in Shirou's memory, but so was most of what was on that place. I could guess all of that had been invented after Shirou's death. Thinking about that made me uncomfortable, so I shook my head trying to get those thoughts out of it.

—I have been telling you, I can get it fixed in a minute —Shirou said, but Malachite moved his finger from side to side.

—This is our project; we can't always depend of teacher's magecraft.

Shirou had to give up, and asked me to follow him outside of the room, while Bort was told to wait for at least fifteen more minutes before even walking. Shirou told me more details about that place as he guided me to the lower floor. It had electricity thanks to them finding some salvageable geothermal generators on the bottom of the ocean, and there was even a machine that was able to emulate sun rays. 

—That being said, Malachite and Sugilite can go outside when the day is nice. But even with the magnetic distortion I was afraid the Lunarians could manage to come and steal them —Shirou said, going suddenly silent for a few moments—, who was taken when I wasn't there?

—Ghost, the outer layer I mean, probably trying to rescue my head —I said— and... Goshe and Morga, the ones who came with us appeared recently as some sort of exchange.

—... I see.

We walked a bit more in silence, until we got to a door with a more complicated lock than before. Inside of that room there was a machine making a weird humming noise. The gold alloy between my cracks started shivering.

—This machine produces an electromagnetic distortion, it is stronger above the surface of the water, and the machines on the lab are protected of it. I'm not sure what its original purpose was, but it has kept the Admirabilis' kingdom hidden and safe since I found it. The emitters are all over the place, but this is the main control, I can lower its power enough for you to call Caster —he said, rotating a dial—, it will take a moment, though.

He pointed to a small green bulb, which he said will turn on once it had reached the proper intensity.

—Phos, do you remember when I talked with Franny?

—Eh? That... that was back when we fought Rider, right?

—Yeah. You looked so cool when you went to save me. Did I ever thank you enough? —he said, but it seemed as if his mind was in other place—, at that time, Franny told me she was trying to achieve a goal that we had set together. I didn't wanted to believe it, but when I got back this arm, I got some memories from that time, before I came to this planet. They are still blurry and incomplete, but the Franny in those memories seems to be... a nice person.

—What?! —I said, completely incredulous.

She had been the one who threw a meteorite against us and the one who had hurt Sensei, I couldn't never accept the idea of her being a "nice person". Shirou seemed to realize what I was thinking, and once more put his hand over my hair, trying to calm me down.

—Don't worry, I have taken in consideration that this memories might have been altered, so I can't trust them too much. And I can't forgive her for what she did either. I will always be your ally no matter what, but I want to find the truth. So when we get to her, would you allow me to speak with her first?

—... Of course —I couldn't say no to him, and if there was a chance we ended up this conflict pacifically, I'll embrace it with open arms. It would be hypocrite of me to not even attempt it, after I had decided to help the Lunarians.

With that being said, I still had something in my mind. I wanted to ask him why he was covering his eyes, but before I could, the green bulb turned on, and I got the radio out of my body.

—Caster, this is Phos, do you copy me? —I said, and waited for a few moments. Nothing but static came out of it.

—I repeat, Caster, this is Phos, do you copy me? Over —I was starting to get nervous.

Shirou looked at some displays and gauges and confirmed the distortion should be low enough for her to get the call. I tried a third time, but the result was the same.

—Ma-maybe she is away, we co-could wait a bit... —I said, very nervously.

—No, she wouldn't leave it untended unless something happened —Shirou said, looking seriously—. Let's forget about staying the night, we need to go back now.

I nodded, and after returning the machine to its normal levels and closing the door behind us, we briefly explained what had happened to Sugilite and Malachite, took an exasperated Bort and hurriedly returned to the surface. I didn't bothered hiding the radio.

—AECHMEA! —I yelled as soon as I got out of the cave— I can't communicate with the island!

He gave a quick glace to the radio and then to my face.

—We have to return immediately, Franny might have found a way to act before we expected —he said, with genuine concern on his face. I decide to trust him for the moment.

I made everyone get on board of the ship as quickly as they could, while Shirou told most of the young Admirabilis to go to the other "stations" and inform their parents so they could take over the vigilance in this post.

—Ondyne, Bizz, you are coming with us —he said.

The former had demonstrated she was able to fight even against three of our best fighters, and she was pretty excited to go on a mission with her teacher. I didn't expected to the little one to turn into her giant form again and pull the ship faster than we had gone before. As her massive body broke the ice with ease, we didn't had to worry about that either. The Lunarian's vessel was being left behind, even when I tried to grab it with my alloy. I almost ended up with my arms being ripped apart. We decided to leave the Sunspot behind, with only two Sundries on it to catch us later, while Assassin, the rest of the Lunarians, and the three Shadow servants came aboard the ship. Even after getting away from the electromagnetic distortion, Caster wasn't picking up on the radio. It had taken us a bit more than three days to reach that place, but with the titanic Admirabilis pulling us, we were able to saw our island in just half of that time. By that point, Bizz was exhausted, as she had been pulling us even after Shirou had told her she needed to take a break.

—We need... to help... them... —she said when she returned to her slug form out of exhaustion—, it's... what grandma would... have done...

I hugged her the two hours it took us to reach the shore closer to the school. And just as we expected, Franny had indeed made a move.

—Welcome back, I didn't expected you to come so soon —said a blonde girl sitting above a giant rock sword that was embedded in the sand of the beach.

—B-Berserker?? —Assassin said, covering her mouth. It was probably the first time I had seen her shown any emotion as strong as that.

—What are you doing here? —Shirou said as he jumped from the ship into the shallow waters—, what did you do with everyone?

—Eh? Are you sure that's the way you should address me? —she said with a wicked smile, but then changed his tone to one full of innocence—, have you forgotten all about me, Onii-chan?

Shirou was suddenly stopped on his track.

—KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! —Berserker laughed holding her stomach, though the sound sounded more like a beast roaring.

—H-how... Berserker should be under the influence of Mad Enhancement —Assassin said, her voice full of disbelief—, she shouldn't be able to talk, much less laugh...

—Eh? Are you surprised, Assassin? Should I explain it to you, perhaps?

—Cut it out! Tell me where is Caster! —Shirou yelled, and for a moment, Berserker looked just a bit afraid, but she recovered her wicked smile almost immediately.

—I like that spirit, Onii-chan. I know, let's fight. If you make me admit defeat, I'll tell you everything that you want to know.

—I just have to make you admit defeat, right?

—Right! But... —her smile turned even more sinister, as she jumped from the sword, held it from the handle and lift it as if it was nothing— you'll have to come at me with all your might, after all, I am the strongest hero, Heracles!


	46. Memories

Berserker swung her sword and that was enough to make a shockwave that made the ship rock back and forth violently, almost making me lose my balance. I managed to hold on the rail and pulled myself straight. Just a few seconds have passed, but the battle had already started. Berserker attacked viciously, but Shirou was able to avoid or block her, though both his shields and swords were destroyed by just one hit of the enemy. But... there was something wrong, he wasn't attacking. It isn't like he didn't had the chance, he was a bit quicker than the girl, and he had been able to project swords and manipulate them without having to touch them. He wasn't doing anything; he was just on the defensive.

—Why? —I muttered to myself, starting to feel like gears grinding inside my head. That was a familiar feeling, somehow.

An image of the girl Shirou was fighting crossed my mind, but she was on a hospital bed, and "I" was holding his hand. "Rin", "Luvia" and "Miyu" were there. I felt like I knew this people. The image disappeared and I was back on the present, trying to make sense of what I have seen. Of course that had to be a memory from Shirou's past, but this was different from everything I had seen. Before it was just information cataloged, like how it would be described on a book. This had been more like a dream. I suddenly remembered how he had reacted to meeting Assassin, and what he had said.

—... I think I have become a bit weaker over the past 100 years.

Time could have been a factor, but I felt there was something more. When he had recovered the piece I sacrificed my head for, he must had regained emotional memories and attachments he had to other people during his previous life. Then it was obvious why he couldn't fight Berserker, for him it was the same little girl that was lying in that hospital bed. I cursed myself for not having noticed it before, and jumped to the railing to go and help him, but Ondyne had already gone on her own. She was yelling aggressively, probably to amp herself up, but this only made Berserker aware of her attack. She swung her heavy sword and would have cut Ondyne in half, if I hadn't grabbed and pulled her away just in time. I let out a sigh of relief.

—W-what are you doing?! —she said, trying to break free from my grasp.

—I'm asking you the same thing! She could have killed you! —I yelled—, what were you thinking?!

—Teacher was suffering; I can't stay without doing anything!!

—Eh? You noticed too...

—Of course, I can read Teacher like a book —she proudly said—, wait, what do you mean by "too"?

—Phos, Ondyne —Shirou had put himself between Berserker and us, showing us his back—... thank you. I forgot for a moment what I'm fighting for right now.

—Teacher, I'll fight at your side!

—I... I'll help you too.

—...Berserker, you asked me to fight with all my might. Phos is my partner, and Ondyne is my student, they are part of my might. Will you accept to fight with us?

—Hmm, don't you think it is a bit abusive, oniichan? I was usually the one bullying you, weren't I? —Berserker said with a grin—. Fine, just don't start crying if I break them!

She jumped to the action immediately, swinging her sword wildly.

—AS IF I WERE TO LET YOU! —Shirou said, with a strangely imposing voice.

Swords started to rain from the sky, slowing Berserker down.

—Not bad! This is starting to get exciting!

—Trace Overedge! —Shirou said, and his usually short swords started to sprout blades as if they were scales, becoming more sturdy and large.

He finally swung his swords back against Berserker, his swords started cracking but he repaired them on the fly and managed to pushed her back. I snapped out of my stupor and joined the fight, using the giant sword the Admirabilis had given me. Ondyne also went on the offensive, but even when we managed to hit Berserker, our swords just bounced on her skin. We, however, were enough distraction to allow Shirou to project more swords, which were able to at least scratch her. There was a problem, though.

—Her wounds close more quicker than we are able to do, we'll never finish her! —Ondyne said, one of her swords had already broken in half.

—I have an idea, but I need a moment —Shirou said, manifesting his bow.

We both nodded and tried to keep Berserker busy while Shirou was preparing a projectile.

—I AM THE BONE OF MY SOUL. IRON IS MY BLOOD AND MY HEART IS GLASS —he said.

I could feel the sword being created, each atom being pulled out of Shirou's own soul. It was a bit distracting, to be honest, so much that Ondyne had to pull me away from the path of Berserker sword and the trajectory of Shirou's arrow. As soon as I realized what was going on, I jumped as far as my agate legs allowed me, taking the Admirabilis with me.

—CADALBOG II! —he yelled as he released the string. He also projected several of his shields and blades around Berserker to concentrate the damage.

That was the attack he had used against Rider's ship, so I was already expecting it to be very destructive. I didn't expected to be THAT destructive. What was left was a relatively small but still smoldering crater. I had the right idea when I covered Ondyne's "ears" with my alloy, as mine were still ringing. Antarc and Bort approached us, both of them a bit cracked by the shockwave despite the ship being a bit far behind. I couldn't understand a thing of what they said. I look around, Shirou was still in one piece, but looking fatigued and breathing heavily. There was something red coming from his bandaged arms, staining the white frozen ocean. My hearing was starting to recover, but the first thing I heard only made me shudder.

—KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! —Berserker emerged from the smoke, laughing again from the bottom of her lungs. She had a big wound on her stomach, but it closed in less than a second.

—This is it!—she said, still with a maniacal grin on her face— This is what I have been waiting all these years!!

She picked up her sword and jumped against Shirou, who barely managed to raise his arms and start manifesting Rho Aias to stop the attack, when we noticed Berserker had stopped mid jump.

—Eh? Eh? What? —She started to say, as confused as we were that she was just floating without being able to move an inch.

—That should be enough for your test, Berserker —A familiar voice said as she approached.

I turned around and almost started crying.

—C-Caster!!

She got to where I was and hugged me.

—I'm so glad to see you made it back —she said, actually crying—and for bringing back Shero, thank you.

—Oneechan! That's not fair! I was just starting to the fun part!! —Berserker said, pouting and trashing around.

I felt that Caster's embrace was starting to become too hard, I started to feel she could have snapped me into two, but fortunately she let go of me before that point.

—SHUT UP! You are ruining an emotional moment!! —Caster yelled, losing her temper for the first time since I had met her—, you promised you wouldn't go all out with them and I end up finding you almost broke two of Shero's arm!

—B-but...

—No buts! You won't get dessert for three days!

—EH?!!! W-wait! I'll be good, I promise!!

—We'll talk about it later; now go to cool your head! —Caster moved her scepter and Berserker was thrown away into the sky and then against the frozen ocean.

—MEANIE ONEECHAN!! —We heard her scream just before she broke through the ice, head first.

—What? —was the only thing I managed to say.

—I'm sorry, I ought you all an explanation, let's return to the school for now —she said, looking to the point where Berserker had sunk.

She turned around, finding Shirou standing next to her, jumped from the surprise and almost fell over me who was still lying on the sand. Shirou caught her hand, and pulled her up.

—Caster, I... —he got silent suddenly, not finding the correct words. After a few instants, he raised his damaged arms and hugged her—, I'm sorry.

—Sh-She-Shero??!! Wh-what?? M-my hearth... my hearth isn't re-ready!! —she was blushing so hard, but at the end she was able to return the hug, before almost passing out.

When they let go of each other, Caster told us to follow her to where the ship was, and it wasn't until then I really noticed how far we had gotten from it. Bort and Antarc had told everyone to stay on the ship before they followed us, in case Berserker got reinforcements.

—Will Berserker be... fine? —I found myself asking.

—Of course, that brother... er, that sister of mine won't die so easily. The idiot got here by jumping from the moon, fell through the atmosphere, and then hit the ocean. What kind of lunatic does that? —Caster said, as she walked and "healed" Shirou's arms. He shuddered a bit when she mentioned how Berserker arrived.

When we were able to see the ship, I noticed Alexandrite and the Amethyst were there. The latter started waving at us, but the former started running full throttle against us, taking me by the shoulders and shaking me very intensely.

—Do you have any idea what I went through?! —Alexi said—, I had to fight that monster and I can't transform into my red form if it isn't a Lunarian!!

—Ah! I guess I didn't contemplated that possibility, Ahahahaha~

—Don't you "Ahahahaha~" me! Damn it!

He settled down a bit after I promised to help him with his research, as he still couldn't study the Lunarians even when they were right in front of him. I de-materialized the ship once everyone and everything had left it, and felt a weight removed from my shoulders. I also noticed a lot of the food we had packed was still untouched, it made me wish we could have left something for the Admirabilis, but at that moment it didn't crossed my mind. The sunspot that had been left behind finally got to the island, and we all went to the school. When I crossed the door, I noticed it glowed green, and blue when Shirou when through it. After another green when Bort passed it, the three members of his fanclub went through it, and it glowed red. Their appearance also changed to what they looked on the moon, and they immediately started panicking and covered their mouths, but after a few instants, they started to smell around, not finding anything weird.

—Impressive, isn't it? —Caster said—, since we needed some way to stay communicated, I placed a spell on this floor of the school, the Lunarians can talk without their disguises here —she approached me, murmuring to my ear—, I still placed a lot of traps and barriers to prevent them from going upstairs and to my lab, though.

—Thank you.

—That's their true appearance? —Bort said confused at his fanclub.

—Wait, this means we can talk freely with Bort-sama! —One of them said.

—Ah! It's true! It's true! —The second one added.

—Bort-sama! Do you remember when you did a spending spin mid air and cut me in one swoop? That was magnificent!!

—And the time you returned that arrow against me by curving it! Simply incredible!!

Bort was starting to get nervous and ran away; the three of them ran after him.

—I apologize for my unruly comrades —the prince said as he entered the building. I haven't quite noticed how tall he was until I saw him crouching to pass through the door.

We went to the table, where Eucci and Jade were already waiting for us. They confirmed that there hadn't been any fatal victims during Berserker attack.

—Berserker came out of the ocean just a few hours after we communicated with Phos for the last time, and started trashing around —Eucci gave us the report with the professionalism expected from him—. Alexandrite fought bravely, but even while using the spear he wasn't match for him. Caster went to fight him, while also trying to communicate what was going on, but on the battle, the radio was damaged.

—The green house was also damaged —Jade followed—, as the battle moved from the beach to that place, but at that point, Berserker attitude changed. He was tempted by the food and decided to establish a truce with us.

—T-that's it?

—Yeah —Berserker herself said, entering the building. She had left her wet and cold clothes on the floor, but Caster managed to cover her body with another cloth before anyone else noticed..

—I didn't had anything to eat for a hundred years, even raw vegetables sounded delicious —she added, becoming a bit more quiet—, also... I remembered, I wanted to try Oniichan's dishes once more.

Shirou smiled.

—Then leave tonight's dinner to me!

I couldn't help but to smile too, and drool a bit. We decided to have a small celebration in honor to the start of our alliance, and leave the details for the next morning. I went outside for a moment to take a breath while Shirou was already cooking, and saw some of the Lunarians approaching the building. I recognized Mantis, as she was wearing her mask.

—Good evening, Mant —I was cut short, as she had thrown herself against me, trying to rub her face against my chest.

—Phos! I missed you so much!! —she said, but after a second, she seemed to react and recover her composure—, A-Ah! I'm deeply sorry, Phosphophyllite-sama! I-I must have gotten too excited after not seeing you for so long. Please excuse me.

—It's fine, don't worry —I said, admittedly a bit weirded out, but I needed to know something from her—, how are our operations going?

—Ah, yes, the transportation of gem dust and admirabilis is almost finished, we'll finish before schedule —she said with confidence, but started to get fidgety—, but... I'm afraid we have some bad news.

—What happened?

—First, the Admirabilis shell have a lot of dust collected into it, we removed it from some of them and grinded it so we could recover it. However, there are some Admirabilis who evolved a shell that is attached to their bodies. If we remove it, it could hurt them very seriously or kill them. We are trying to find a way to solve this, but we haven't exposed those to the ocean water as we don't know how they will react. We might be forced to sacrifice some if we want to recover all of the dust.

—No. We'll wait... we can wait —I said.

—O-of course. But about the other thing, we recover enough dust from Ghost Quartz to remake her face, as well as minimal components of Morganite, Heliodor, and Green Diamond.

—W-Well, that sounds great! —I said, almost tearing at the idea of having Ghost back. We were still missing a lot of his body, but it was a start.

—There is... a problem. We studied the inclusions deeply, and it seems that being exposed to the sunlight without a proper atmosphere has damaged them. They entered into a state of hibernation, and erased everything that was not necessary for their survival. If we revive them, they will most likely have no memories at all.

—No memories... —Lapis was dampening my feelings, trying to make me think pure logic, but I was still being devoured by the despair—, do it anyway.


	47. Invasion

When I managed to return to the inside of the school, everyone was celebrating. Well, most of them, Bort was still trying to avoid his fans, but they keep following him everywhere he went. Shirou was cooking fish and vegetables over an improvised grill, with the Admirabilis sisters and Caster helping him. They looked like a family...

By just the smell, most of the Lunarians and Berserker were already drooling, and their faces illuminated when they started to eat, crying tears of joy after each bite. Even the shadow servants and Assassin seemed to be having a good time.  
I... had been waiting a long time to eat Shirou's cooking, but at that moment, I felt like I wouldn't be able to taste anything. I made myself present with a smile, and then discretely disappeared into the upper floors. I just walked aimlessly, but I ended up going to the places where Ghost had been the most, his room, the long recovery facility, and the library. I finished my walk entering the room where Sensei was resting. I sat on the floor next to him, in a way that someone who peeked through the door couldn't see me behind the table. I extended my arm and grabbed his hand. I breathed slowly and tried to keep my mind distracted, but I couldn't avoid remembering Ghost. I knew he will return, and reassured myself that even if he wouldn't remember me, we could make new memories together. But even knowing that, my chest hurt and I couldn't stop crying golden tears.

—Se-sensei... please... —I murmured between heavy breaths.

Then, I heard a familiar barking approaching, and I hurriedly cleaned my eyes and tried to regain my composure. As expected, Shiro the dog appeared and jumped to my face, trying to lick me all over.

—Awww, I thought you have forgotten about me —I said, hugging him.

—Oh, so this is where you were hiding —Antarc said, taking me by surprise.

—I-I'm not hiding; I just needed a place to rest for a moment. It has been hectic since we went to the ocean. I'm not even sure how many days that took us.

—Well then, do you mind if I accompany you?

—No... not at all.

We stayed on silence for a few moments, I kept playing with Shiro the dog until it got tired and went to slept at my feet.

—Do you... think the Lunarians could help us fix Sensei?

I turned to look at him with wide eyes. The idea hadn't crossed my mind, mostly because I didn't wanted to think of both Sensei and the Lunarians at the same time. They needed him to go to their afterlife, so they will be willing to help us... but I feared they could do something to him while they were on it. If they repaired him just to fulfill the purpose of praying them away, they might ignore all his other functions. Even if he was fixed... if he were to choose to not pray for them, they might retaliate against us, going back to their attempt to use our grinded dust to decorate their moons. I didn't know how to explain all of this to Antarc, who surely wanted to see Sensei as soon as possible. Fortunately for me, at that exact moment, Cairn appeared.

—What are you two doing here? Shirou has been asking for you all night —He said, slightly irritated after having to come and look for us.

—Ah, is that so? Then I'll go see what he wants —I said while getting up, trying to put on a smile—, thank you.

—Wait. Is... —he made a long pause—... Is something bothering you?

—Eh?

—You wouldn't be hiding here without a reason. And that's more or less the smile Lapis did when he was hiding something. Ghost was your confident, wasn't him? I'm his successor, so if anything is bothering you, you can talk to me... at least until he comes back.

—Ghost will never come back —I find myself saying, with a cold tone.

Hearing it from my own voice made me shudder, and before I knew, a blade had emerged from my shoulder towards the ceiling.

—Oh, shoot, I almost lost control for a moment... —I instinctively grabbed the blade and started pushing it inside of my body.

It wasn't made from my gold alloy, but it dissipated once it was inside me. I turned towards Cairn, who understandably had stepped back and had a horrified expression on his face.

—I'm sorry, I'll go to cold my head, forget what I said —I said, in the most calm voice I could muster.

I walked towards the door and tried to leave, but he got a hold of my wrist.

—What do you mean forget about it? What do you mean by saying Ghost will not come back?!

Another blade popped from my chest after hearing him, but I managed to get a hold of it before it extended too far. I breathed deeply.

—Mantis said... that the while we will have our brothers back, they will not have any of their previous memories, they were damaged by being grinded and exposed to space, or something like that.

—What?! —Ghost said, with a furious tone on his voice.

—B-but even if they lose their memories, they'll be back! —Antarc said, attempting to cheer both of us.

—Yeah... I tried to tell myself that, but... it still hurts, so I might have not said it properly. As I said, forget what I said, Cairngorn.

He seemed frustrated, but nodded. I thought of asking them to leave me alone for a moment, but if I were to be left alone with my thoughts, I would probably explode in a storm of blades as before. The only thing that was keeping me together was pretending everything was fine. So I went to the party and did exactly that, smiled and chatted, ate a lot of food, and even tried to cheer up Antarc and Cairn, who were now carrying the weight of the truth. I'll have to tell the rest about it too, but not that night. The party went until so late, that everyone involved agreed on taking half of the next day to rest and recover. After the noon, with the help of Eucci and Jade, we set up a table in the middle of the hall where we would formalize our alliance and plan our attack against Franny.

—Good afternoon, I'm Phosphophyllite, I'll be representing the Lustrous as well as acting as mediator of this negotiations.

—I'll represent the Lunarians —Assassin said, Aechmea was at her side, with Cicada and Mantis standing behind them.

—We'll speak for the Admirabilis —Ondyne said, sitting next to Shiro.

—If you don't mind, Anchin-sama, I would like to represent the shadow servants —Kiyohime said, but for some reason, I suspected Andersen was behind it.

—And I'll represent myself —Berserker said proudly.

—T-then... I would like to be included as well —Caster spoke—, as a represent of humanity.

I was a little stunned by her words, but I remembered what he had been talking after we got back from the moon. She wanted to investigate about the humans trapped inside of the MoonCell, screaming desperately for help. She didn't feel comfortable bringing this up where the Lunarians might hear about it, and I shared her feelings, so she had to come up with something to explain herself in other way.

—I have been helping the Lustrous for a long time, so I ask in retribution the chance to allow me to revive the human race in this planet after we have finished with this conflict. I'll promise to watch over them and guide them to cooperate with the species that live here already.

—I accept that proposition —I said—, and I suspect the Lunarians will not have anything against it?

—Of course not, we also support Caster's idea —Assassin said, as expected. Having humans who could pray for the Lunarians will solve their problem without having to meddle with Sensei in any way.

—The Admirabilis also vote for it —Shirou said—, so long as you keep your word.

—Of course, Shero.

Caster smiled and sat alongside all of us. I couldn't help but notice Ondyne showing a bit of jealously towards her. We moved forward the meeting, saying what we wanted and what we will give to the alliance. The Lunarians reaffirmed their total surrender, asking only to be prayed away and be given the chance to take revenge against Franny for betraying them. The Admirabilis wanted their kidnapped friends and family back, as well as retribution for the damages. We Lustrous wanted basically the same thing, so it was established that the Lunarians will share their technology with both of us before they went "to the other side". The control of the moons will also fall under us once they were not longer here, something that I could use to give Caster access to the MoonCell.

Kiyohime asked for the shadow servants who would surrender to be able to be integrated to society or allowed to return to "the throne", if they wished so. I feel that I couldn't say no to her without facing some sort of punishment, but I manage to make her promise everyone who stayed would not harm neither of the other factions. Finally, Berserker just asked for a chance to fight and to feast as much as she wanted. Caster intervened to put a few limits on the "as much as she wanted" clause and Berserker ended up accepting it. With everything settled down, we all agreed on launching our attack the next day.

***********************************************************************************************

I woke up, still on my cell, still on the moon. It wasn't too bad, my cell was in the very top of a tower and I could see the city changing every day bellow me, and the planet was always above me. I think it was because that moon was tidally locked, or something. Someone had mentioned it to me, but my memories weren't too good. I had been broken and fixed so many times. I couldn't even remember how long it has been since I was captured, or what had been the exact circumstances. In any case, I just resorted to do what had become my routine in that place, starting by stretching all my body. My agate legs were as flexible as always, but my arms had been bothering me for a while. I somehow remembered them being stretchier, and not made entirely of the gold alloy, but they might have changed them. Once I was done with that, I took a quick shower, and made myself presentable. I had even become accustomed to the white clothes that the Lunarians had given me. Then, I took a book from the shelf and started to read it, waiting until they would bring me something to eat. However, that day I was surprised when Saber herself had appeared on my door.

—You are being requested on the throne room —she dryly said, and started walking without waiting for me to reply.

I followed, until we reached the big hall. Almost everyone was already there, Assassin, Franny, and of course... Archer.

—Did you called for me? —I said, not exactly sure to who I should speak.

—Yes, thank you for coming, Phosphophyllite —Franny said, jumping to life—, today we have an spectacle ready for you.

She moved her hand and the ceiling of the room opened, letting us see the sky. Almost as if they had been waiting for it, three Sunspots started to manifest.

—T-they are...

—Yes, the alliance formed to defeat me.

—They came to rescue me?

—Oh, dear. They don't even know you exist —Franny said, with a slightly wicked smile—. Archer, if you might.

—W-wait, please! Don't hurt them!

—I have been waiting to meet up with them for a long time —Archer said, getting up. With just a gesticulation, dozens of portals opened and weapons started to sprout out of them—, this is just to welcome them. You'll get your chance to meet with them before I finish them.

***********************************************************************************************

We appeared over their city on the moon and made the Sunspots visible only when it was absolutely necessary. We had most of the Lunarians and shadow Servants with us, as well as Bort, Cairn, the Amethysts, Yellow, Alexi, Shirou, Ondyne, myself, and of course Berserker. I had checked up thrice that Goshe and Morga hadn't followed us, somehow. I found a bit weird that Cairn had chosen to travel with Aechmea... there was something weird about how he was acting that morning, but I hadn't had time to talk to him. Once we were done with this, I told myself.

My head started hurting a bit, as I saw a golden glint coming from one of the buildings. Shirou also saw it and materialized his shield, just before we were hit by the barrage of golden weapons hitting us. We tried to split up, Shirou keeping three separated shields, but eventually the rush of weapons overwhelmed him and they started to break. One of the weapons went straight through us and pierced the statue, making our vessel to lose stability and spin out of control. The next thing I knew, we had crashed on the moon.


	48. Approaching

I woke up and opened my eyes, but I was immediately blinded. I closed my right eye and covered it with my hand, which allowed me to regain my sight on my left eye. Fortunately, my eyepatch was still on my head, it had just moved a bit to the side.

—Phosphophyllite-sama!

I heard a voice behind me, and when I turned towards it, I found Mantis approaching me. She was trying to run even in the low gravity of the moon, with a very distraught expression on her face. She jumped against me and hugged me strongly, only letting go of me to check if I had broken something.

—Thank goodness, I was so scared something might have happened to you —she said, letting out a sigh of relief—, is your eye still hurting?

—No, it's fine now. I still can't see with it, though.

—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have insisted on having it installed before our big mission.

I patted the head of the Lunarian.

—Don't worry about it, I'll get used to it.

That same morning, just before we embarked into the Sunspots, Mantis had given me an eye made out of synthetic pearl's shards they had gathered while processing the shards of our brothers. It was meant to represent their alliance towards me, and while I had had some doubts about it, it didn't seem to have anything suspicious when Shirou and I traced it, aside from the lack of inclusions. I would have liked to have Caster use a spell to check it out too, but she had been worked non-stop for quite a while to prepare for our invasion, and at that moment she had literally passed out. When I put the darn thing on my eye socket, however, it started hurting and I could only see a blinding white light through it. My inclusions must have not liked it, I think. I was very close to pull it out of my head when I noticed that covering it stopped its adverse effects. So I decided to keep it, at least until we got back home.

—Is anyone else alive? —I said in a deadpan tone.

Andersen arose from the moondust and threw a glare like daggers to me. Faust was making an "angel" on it. Ondyne was looking around confused.

—Where is everyone else? Where is teacher? —she asked.

—They probably fell in another place —Andersen said, dusting his coat off.

It was our plan to attack from different fronts to cause as much distraction as possible, but we didn't considered we would be shoot down from the sky. Still, we had taken some precautions. I took the radio that I had been carrying, a more compact and improved version that Caster had managed to finish and given to each "team leader". I traced its components, and thankfully, it didn't seem like it had been damaged during our fall.

—This is Phos, please report —I said.

—Anchin-sama! Kiyohime is fine, I'm sure fate will make us meet very soon, don't panic! —she replied—, The Amethyst, Yellow and Alexi are with me, as are most of the shadow servants and some lunarians.

—Berserker's here. I'm fine, but I don't see anyone around. Also, I lost my sword.

—Ah, about that —Kiyohime spoke again—, it landed near, we'll bring it with us... somehow.

There were a few moments of silence, and I started to get worried.

—This is Shirou, Bort is with me, and we can see Cairn, the Prince and the other Lunarians a bit further.

I was relieved to hear everyone was fine, moreover than Shirou was fine. I had been having a weird feeling, but it was probably just anxiety. I told them that we would proceed as planned, and to remember to place a stake every so often on their paths. They had been the primary source of Caster's all nighters since we visited one of the moons for the first time. Once they had been put in place, they will create a force field that would prevent the dust that our brothers had been turn into to escape into space. Each stake covered a pretty decent area. They were also solar powered, so unless removed they'll protect our brothers for as long as necessary. Hopefully, we would end up this whole ordeal soon.

We had fell into a relatively big mare, but even from where we were, we could see the lights of the city. When we finally were able to get out of it, we saw the towering buildings at the distance. It would be a long walk, but there was no other choice. The Sunspot vessel should supposedly regenerate pretty much like the Lunarians did, turning into a small version of the statue that was used to pilot it. But as there wasn't one anywhere near from where we had landed, ours was probably with one of the other teams. After a couple of hours, we were finally getting close to the walls of the city, and I was confident with our small number, we could slip past without being noticed. My gold alloy, for some reason, started shivering, and I stopped for a moment. There was no apparent danger, but I felt uncomfortable. Instinctively, I raised the sword that had been given to me by the Lunarians, just in time to stop a katana that was aiming to my neck. The force of the impact throw me back, almost making me fall over Hans and Faust, but they helped me stay standing.

—Phos, are you alright? —Ondyne said, unsheathing her swords.

—Yes, I'm fine —I said, trying to hide the fact that the blade had managed to slash half of my neck.

I turned to the being that had attacked me, who was standing with a grin on her face. Her dark toned skin was way too noticeable, as she was only wearing some patches of clothes here and there.

—That was a very underhanded tactic, who are you?

—Victory for my lord shall be obtained by any mean and cost. I'm a shadow servant of the Rider class, Ushiwakamaru.

—This is bad, Phosphophyllite —Andersen said— she is one of the strongest among us.

—Then I'm glad you are tagging along, "Caster".

—You are asking too much of a simple writer. My powers aren't comparable to that witch you left back in the planet. Speaking of which, why did you left her behind?

—I'll tell you later, we have something more important to deal right in front of us.

Andersen grunted, but stepped forward.

—Lets finish this quickly, raccoon-girl.

—Cold as always, Andersen. No, you seem to have made a few friends back on the planet. Honestly, it makes me a bit jealous.

—If you want them, you can have them, they are just a constant bother. However, let me tell you a story first, one that is just for you.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After we had spoken with Phos through the radio, Bort and I went to where the rest of our group was.

—Everyone is alright, we'll continue as planned —I said, and the Prince nodded.

I couldn't help but feel a little weirder out about how close Cairn stood from him, there was something off about her eyes, but I couldn't figure what it was. I even traced her, but everything about her seemed to be fine. I also felt as if something was pulling me away from the Lunarian's city, but I attributed that to the dread I was feeling due my inevitable meeting with Franny again. Last time I had seen her, I saw her as an enemy, even when she told me our goal was the same. But in these past hundred years, I had been dreaming about our time together before I was sent to the moon.

—Thanks for the food, it was really delicious, Sempai —she said after we had finished our breakfast, even bowing to me. I couldn't remember her face.

—Don't mention it, the ingredients the Lunarians brought were top quality —I said, though I felt something weird about the slug-like cattle they used as a primary source of meat.

They had instruments that could generate basically any type of food, but it required a lot of energy, so it was better to use what they had at hand first. I looked through the big window in our apartment and saw the planet. It looked beautiful, but it somehow filled me with a feeling of uncertainly.

—Is something bothering you? —Franny asked. Her face seemed genuinely worried.

—They told us we would restore humanity, once they freed the planet from those beings that claimed it after we went extinct... but I saw what they brought back from their hunt, and what they did with it.

The Lunarians had told us the planet was infested by Lustrous, entities made of gems and minerals that mimicked human behavior, but were aggressive against any actual living being.

—They are like malfunctioning robots —Achemea had told us—, they attack anything that is not one of them. We can deal with them because we can regenerate from any physical wound. They could damage your core, and you will cease to exist.

His explanation seemed convincing enough, but there was something odd about the way they treated those they had captured.

—What is the point of grinding them to dust and spread them through the moons?

—That's... the only way to prevent them from restoring themselves. If they parts are put together, they'll come back to "life", and even if we grind them, they could reassemble without any problem. But when their inclusions are exposed to the sun without the protection of the atmosphere, they become damaged. Spreading them through several moons also decreases the chance of their parts from coming together.

—Is that so? Would you allow me and Franny to examine some of them, we might be able to find a way to finish them more effectively —I said, though I was actually more interesting in seeing how he would reply.

—I am afraid I can't allow that. Your physical bodies are pretty similar, we don't know how you would react to being exposed directly to their inclusions.

—I see —I said, and dropped the subject.

The Prince had done nothing but to confirm my suspicious. We had walked though the fields filled with the grinded dust without any problem, and I had previously prodded similar questions to the other Lunarians. I told this to Franny, as she had become my confident.

—What do you plan to do?

—I'm not sure. I would like to know more about those Lustrous beings, but the Prince will probably warn the others after I questioned him so much. I'll never get a piece of them before it is grinded.

She smiled deviously.

—Then, I'll steal one for you, Sempai.

—Wait, I can't ask you to get involved in this.

—You already involved me when you told me all of this, didn't you?

—Well, yes, but...

—Don't worry, in this times is exactly when you should rely on your cute Kouhai —she said with a grin and a voice full of confidence. I couldn't say no to her.

—Alright then, just be careful.

I didn't really expected her to be able to get something, as expected the Lunarians had increased their security. But two days later, she presented me with two eyes with greenish irises. The rest of my memories were still foggy, but she seemed to be reliable and really wanted to help me. I needed to talk to her once more. Now, I was walking towards her, alongside the man who I had suspected all those years ago. I could also ask him, but I both feel he wouldn't answer me properly and I didn't wanted him to know how much I remembered from back then. We approached the city right through the main entrance, where the port was. There were a lot of Shadow Servants and Sundries there, but they had seen us coming from a long distance, there was no point in trying to surround them. So I took a stake out of my bag and buried it into the ground, protecting all the dust that could be lost into space in the approaching battle.

—Is impossible to really beat them here, that's not our goal —I said towards everyone, but specially towards Bort.

—I know already! —she said slightly offended—, we just have to go through them.

—Exactly. Allow me to make the first move.

I manifested several swords and started throwing them against the crowd, while the Lunarians in our side started shooting arrows as well. We started advancing immediately after, I traced Kanshou and Bakuya, Bort and Cairn unsheated their swords and the general-type Lunarian and the Shadow Servants branded their melee weapons as well.

We were able to pass them relatively quickly, but as we closed our way to the entrance, we saw a couple of figures blocking our way.

—You won't give a step further, in the name of the Shinsengumi! —the samurai-looking girl said.

The buff man in the back grunted, while the woman with dark long hair and red clothes grinned while aiming her rifle against us.


	49. Thesseus

Marchen Meines Lebens. That was the Noble Phantasm of the being known as Hans Christian Andersen. One could say it was a lesser version of Caster's blessings, reinforcing both me and Ondyne's bodies, and keeping our stamina up. We were the main "damage dealers", but we were just barely enough to block our enemy's attack. Faust's buffoon was throwing bombs basically at random, some exploded instantly, others only when they were touched. And in his unpredictability, he was the only one who had been able to hurt Ushiwakamaru at all. It was a double edge sword, as even I had stepped on one of the mines he had set up. Thankfully, that explosion wasn't strong enough to blow me into pieces, but my leg still cracked a bit. The gold alloy fixed it immediately, though.

—You have impressed me, Lord Phosphophyllite —the shadow servant said after we had crossed blades and pushed each other away.

—Since you haven't put your sword away, I don't think that means you'll join us or at least let us go ahead.

—Of course not, once I have a master I'll serve them to my end. And I can't let you go through either. Mmmm... though Archer wanted to fight against Lord Emiya, but he told us to not go easy against him either.

—Wait, Archer? Like Assassin, are there two Archers? —I said, and the image of the attack that had brought us down appeared in my mind. I had been thinking that must have been the work of Franny herself or another Shadow Servant, but it felt weirdly familiar.

—-Two? Aside from those who are just shadows, there is only one Archer —Ushiwakamaru said—, the king of heroes, Gilgamesh.

I froze, and felt something deep within me shiver and twist.

—But... Shirou...

—Hmmm, I see, it was always weird —Andersen said—, the Holy Grail was started by those two, Franny and Shirou. They existed before it, so neither would count as servants participating on it, even if their souls were summoned using the same principle.

—Correct —Ushiwakamaru said with a wide smile— If anything, Franny could be described as one of the Ruler class, while Shirou as her opposite will be... never mind, it doesn't matter.

I hold tight the grip of my sword. All this time, they had been attacking us and Shirou, and he wasn't part of the ritual. Caster, Berserker, Assassin, and even Lancer and Rider had been lied to. There wasn't any reason to involve us, there wasn't any reason to darken the sky of our world, and there wasn't any reason to hurt Sensei. I was pissed, utterly pissed.

—Phos?! —Ondyne said, and I took a glance at her.

She looked scared, even Andersen and Faust were giving a few steps back. Ushiwakamaru stood her ground, but I noticed my shadow covered her entirely.

—Ah, I see —I thought to myself—I lost control again.

My body had broken in pieces barely held together by the gold allow, twisting and contorting into weird shapes. Swords and all sorts of weapons had started to sprout out of my body. I was about to burst, but Ondyne was too close, and unlike Ghost and Cairn, we couldn't just put her pieces together. In the last seconds I had, I tried to aim the blades towards the enemy and then, everything went white.

—Phos! Phos! Wake up! —I started hearing after a while. There was something jumping on whatever was left of my chest.

I tried to stand, but my body was too broken. My legs and one of my arms were completely gone, and the other was just a shattered stump. I could see the earth above me. I started to panic and hyperventilate.

—Calm down, you are safe —the creature said, and only then I realized it was an Admirabilis. Her voice was familiar, and way more comprensible than the feral ones I had met before.

—O-Ondyne?? Is that you?

—Oh? You haven't seen me take this form before, right? Sorry to surprise you.

She looked like a violinist crab, with one pincer bigger than the other. But unlike any other of the Admirabilis I had seen, her slug-like body was covered in hard plates. They might have not been able to protect her from a direct impact, but at least helped her deal with the debris, as I had blown an entire section of the wall. Plus, being smaller made her hard to hit.

—Seriously, if you can do something like that tell me so I can plan ahead —Andersen said, appearing from among the dust cloud with one of my legs.

We didn't see Ushiwakamaru anywhere near, so we assumed our victory and took the time to reassemble me. I was able to keep my parts together, once again thanks to my alloy. I still couldn't walk properly, so Ondyne returned to her biped shape and helped me. We entered to the city and went a few meters within it when Faust stopped abruptly.

—Say, Phosphophyllite —he said, with an uncharacteristic serious tone—, have you heard of the Ship of Thesseus?

—Huh? What are you asking so suddenly?

—No, it is something I had been wanting to tease with since we met, but I think I won't have any other chance later.

—W-what are you talking about? —I asked, but when I turned around I saw the answer to my question.

Ushiwakamaru had risen from the debris. There was a big hole on her chest, and she was slowly turning into golden dust, but her eyes looked even more determined than before.

—You got me, Phosphophyllite, with my core damaged I won't be able to stay on this word for longer. But as long as I have air in my lungs, I'll fight for my lord.

—Tch, you should just lie down and enjoy the sight of the stars in your last moments, you damn raccoon —Hans said.

Faust started to walk towards the enemy.

—Come back here, you idiot! —Hans said.

—The Thesseus ship is an old dilemma, you know? It has keep many philosophers and idiots busy trying to come up with a solution —he said, completely ignoring his comrade—. It goes something like this, "If you replace one by one all the pieces of a ship, is still the same ship at the end?", for you see, the proper servants on this grail war are made up from several beings, who are they exactly? And even us, the shadow servants, are made up from incomplete data. Can we call ourselves by our names if we are only the eighty percent or so of who we were supposed to be? Ah, that also applies to you, Phos-chan...

—W-what do you mean? —I said, but I noticed he had thrown a bomb between him and us.

I managed to grab Hans and Ondyne and pull them towards me, all while covering us three with my alloy. The bomb went off just a moment after that, as if it had been waiting for me to finish protecting us, and its explosion was strong enough to send us flying several meters away. However, there had been almost no shrapnel on the explosion. I removed he alloy as soon as I could, and I saw Faust saying something more, but my ears were still ringing. When I recovered my hearing, however, the first thing I heard was the voice of our enemy.

—Dan-No-Ura, Eight Boat Leap —she said, aiming her blade towards the shadow servant.

She gave a step ahead and gained incredible momentum, she was halfway towards Faust in less than a few seconds. He, however, still managed to turn around and show me for a brief instant a honest smile, like nothing I had seen him done.

—Sayonara, Phos-chan —he said, and his wicked and creepy smile came back, as he surrounded himself with lots of explosives.

—Wait! —I said, but my golden alloy covered us again even against my will.

There was a huge explosion seconds later, and this time we were thrown away more violently, hitting walls and the ground, as well as being hit by debris. Hans had managed to use his noble phantasm just before we were hit, otherwise my gold alloy wouldn't have stood it. When everything calmed down, I removed the gold alloy and looked around. We were on the border of a crater; everything around us was destroyed or at the very least damaged badly. There wasn't anything remaining of Ushiwakamaru or Faust.

—That idiot, if he had that much power left he didn't had to sacrifice his life —Hans said, getting up and dusting off his clothes.

—Is... is he not going to reappear soon? —Ondyne said.

—No, when our core is damaged, we are as good as dead —Hans admitted bitterly.

—That explosion will attract their attention, we need to get away —I heard someone say.

It took me a few seconds to realize those words had come up from my mouth. I attributed it to Lapis taking over for a moment. I got up and looked around. There was something... odd. It looked as if there was some kind of veil in front of me. I didn't had time to wonder about it, as Ondyne and Hans pushed me to move forwards before reinforcements arrived. As we were getting away, I threw a glance back at the center of the explosion. I haven't developed any sort of bond with Faust, and he didn't seem to mind me in particularly either. So why was he willing to sacrifice himself to save us? What was the meaning in his last words?

—Ah, Phos, your eyepatch fell off —Ondyne said, picking it up from the ground.

—Thank you —I was about to put it on its place when I noticed I wasn't being blinded even when I wasn't wearing it.

We hid behind a corner for a moment, and just out of curiosity, I placed it over the eye made with synthetic pearl and my vision returned to normal. I then placed the eyepatch over the other eye, and everything in my fiend of vision was different. I could still touch Ondyne, who was in front of me. She slapped my hand away.

—You can see another place? —Hans asked after I had told them.

—Where is it? —Ondyne added. 

—It is... a room, but I'm seeing through the window... I can see the city from above, and... there is a cloud of dust on the distance...

—That must be here!

I removed the eyepatch and looked around until I saw it; a huge tower that was looming over the rest of the city, the only place where that vision could have been coming.

—Just what is in that tower?

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had returned to my room, worrying about what Franny and Archer had said. I couldn't get those words out of my mind. Then I heard a familiar voice.

—Sayonara, Phos-chan.

My memories were still clouded, but I knew there had been someone who called me that way, a prankster shadow servant who visited me even against the rules. I only remembered him vaguely, but my eyes started to leak, and I felt as if someone was squeezing my heart. Then I heard the explosion, and ran to the window. I could see it from there, but there was something off about my vision. It was almost as if I had a veil in front of me. Just for curiosity, I covered the eye that was made of Lapis Lazuli, and found myself in a weird scene. I could still touch the frame of my window, but there were two people in front of me. One was a kid with blue hair, and the other looked a bit like the Admirabilis' king...what was her name again? When did I met her?

Huh?

Who I was supposed to be?


	50. An entirely new perspective.

I had been freed. Freed from a weight I didn’t know I was carrying, from HIS expectations and HIS last will. I could live my own life and not GHOST’s. I was able to see everything in a new light, and I could do everything that I wanted.

What exactly did I wanted to do?

—I… don’t know? —I told to the man who had freed me, the Prince of the Lunarians, Aechmea.

—Without the influence of Ghost Quartz, everything that you really desire should come naturally to you. It is fine if you can’t tell right now; take your time to adjust to your new freedom.

—That sounds good, I think. Yeah, thank you.

—There is no need, it is the least I can do —he said, putting his tools away—, will you still join the attack against the moon tomorrow?

—I… can NOT go?

—It is your choice.

—Oh, right. Are you going?

He nodded.

—I gave my word to Phosphophyllite and the rest of the alliance, and I want to free my people from Franny.

—Then I’m going to. You helped me, so I’m going to help you now.

—What about Phosphophyllite and Emiya Shirou?

—I don’t owe anything to them; they had only caused me troubles.

Even Antarc, who I fought alongside for over a hundred years, didn’t attempt to make a connection with me. He thought of me only as a coworker, and the feeling was mutual. I think I actually liked him better because of that. Ghost was… complicated. But he wasn’t here anymore, and according to Phos, the one we knew wouldn’t ever come back. So I didn’t have to care for him either. If there was someone who I cared in this land aside from my savior, it was the one who made us, Sensei, but…

—What do you want from Sensei?

—… It would be better if Phosphophyllite would tell you about it.

—No! She sucks at talking, just like Lapis. They keep hidden things and lie whenever it is convenient to them. I hate it. I want you to tell me everything!

—Very well —he said, and asked me to sit down.

And he was truthful to his word, he told me everything. The Lunarians were the souls of humans who couldn’t go to their next destination if they didn’t received prayers from the living. They were the last ones because they were “the worst ones”, before the machine that was left to pray for them broke down. The machine we had known as Adamant Sensei.

—He is just a machine?

He shook his head.

—He might be a machine, but he is the culmination of all the progress humanity made. He is, in certain way, our legacy and our greatest achievement.

I couldn’t fully understand what he meant, I was too focused on the revelation that Sensei had been created, not born, and had a specific function that he wasn’t fulfilling anymore. Like a broken chisel. Aechmea continued telling me how they had attempted everything to make Sensei pray for them again, but not even begging to him everyday worked. Frustrated, they hunted and hurt us in an attempt to make him react, but it was still in vain. Sensei had let them turn us into dust.

Aechmea must have noticed the troubled look on my face, and told me to follow him. I had gone to look for him to the crystal-looking building they had made to process the dust, because I really wanted to tell him something. Or was it asking for something? I couldn’t quite remember, and didn’t quite care, those were the wishes tainted by the remains of Ghost. Aside from the workshops, they had prepared rooms to rest, and with the help of the witch’s magic, they could breathe and talk freely inside. They had also brought some of their personal belongings, since they feared Franny could attack their city on the moon and destroy them. What Aechmea wanted to show me was in what he called a “forgery”, a workshop in which they made weapons. There were a lot of them; bow and arrows, spears, swords, axes, everything made with a blade resembling Shirou’s swords, but their handle and decorations were unique. Aechmea looked at a few, and finally presented me with one that was rather slim. He called it a rapier.

—This is for you to keep —he said, handing it to me.

—Really? Can I really keep it? —I said, and he nodded.

I was really happy, but I remembered something that made me feel… uneasy.

—Didn’t you gave Phos a bigger one?

—The size doesn’t matter, but rather each one’s fighting style. Phosphophyllite doesn’t have one, technically, she can rely on brute strength and the weight of the sword, if she ever remembers she can use it. But you have a magnificent skill; I have seen you use one of yours obsidian swords as well as the red spear of Lancer. A blade like this will surely bring the best of your abilities.

—I-I see. Tha-thank you —I managed to say.

I was smiling so hard it was hurting. I don’t remember having smiled like that ever. Since it was already late, I decided to stay over there, and the Prince prepared a room for me. Next morning, we all gathered in front of the school.

—I didn’t see you come back yesterday —Antarc asked me.

—Something happened…

—I see.

Those who were part of the attack team proceed to board on the Sunspots, and of course I climbed on the one where the Prince was. I saw Phos looking weirdly at me from one of the others, and I showed her my tongue, though I’m not sure if she saw it. I have heard that she had a pretty romantic dinner with Aechmea before, and that made me despise her a bit more. Huh? Why was that? It doesn’t matter; I’m free from any influence, so anything that I feel now must be my true feelings. As we approached the moon, I saw a golden glimmer on the Lunarian city.

—So the Sage King is already making a move, huh? —I heard Aechmea murmur.

—Huh?

—No, it’s nothing, but it is better if you hang closely —he said, grabbing me from the shoulder and pulling me towards him.

We were immediately hit by a barrage of golden weapons, which didn’t turn us into dust only by the intervention of Shirou’s Rho Aias. Against that many weapons, however, each of their layers started cracking and shattering, and eventually some of the weapons managed to break through it, taking away parts of our vessel, as well as the other two. We lost balance and fall to the moon’s surface. I fortunately was able to grab unto the Prince, and we ended up together. I almost wanted to ditch the mission and just enjoy the view with him, but Bort and Shirou were with us, as well as some of the others. Well, once we had conquered the moon, we’ll have enough time. When we reached the entrance to the city, we found a small army already waiting for us. They still were more than us, but the small grunts looked like they were forced to be there. The Lunarians on their side looked very sorry every time they attacked us. The real problem was the three Shadow servants that were the final defense line.

—Aechmea, do you know anything about those three? —Shirou asked.

—I only know of the nicknames of two of them, Sakura Saber and Demon Archer. The other one is a Berserker, but I don’t know anything more. They were summoned only after that woman had taken control of the moon, and thus, I wasn’t involved on it.

—Hmm, their weapons aren’t special on themselves, so I can’t pinpoint their identities either. They mentioned the Shinsengumi, so they are more likely from my country’s past.

—They look pretty strong, but they are still only shadow servants —Bort chimed in, ready to battle.

Shirou turned towards him, then to me, and finally towards Aechmea.

—I’ll fight those three, and make an opening somehow. You’ll stay behind and lead the group. Can I trust you to keep Bort and Cairn safe?

—I don’t need protection! —Bort immediately said.

She was, however, surrounded by her fan club and pulled away.

—You have my word —Aechema said, slightly bowing towards Shirou.

Without saying anything more, Shirou turned away and walked towards the enemies. Meanwhile, we followed Aechmea instructions and keep the rest of the army busy. I found that the rapier was indeed the perfect choice for me, much better that the spear that Alexandrite had “borrowed”. I was also very happy to be fighting alongside the Prince. But… I found myself being distracted. I keep throwing glances towards Shirou. I felt something on my stomach, like if I had eaten a stone.

—Are we really going to let him fight them alone?

—Are you worried about him? —Aechmea asked, taking me by surprise. I didn’t realized I had spoken out loud.

—No, of course not! —I said, not entirely sure why—, well, just a bit. Those shadow servants are almost as strong as proper servants.

—Oh, so you can tell.

—Of course, I have fought them for over a hundred years, while he was hiding in his underwater cave —I said, proud of myself—, they have been getting stronger, not only the ones we keep fighting since the meteorite fell, but the new ones too.

—You have a very keen eye, your assumptions are correct. The shadow servants were initially summoned as incomplete beings, only to be used as guards without any will or desire of their own. Franny used them against us, however. As years passed, they had become something closer to their original selves, a phenomenon that was studied and understood by her. This allowed her to summon even more strong and complete shadow servant. If it was one on one, Shirou might be able to win, but against the three of them, his odds are almost zero.

—T-then why did you agreed with his plan? —I asked.

—I am bound by the terms of our alliance to obey the representatives of the Lustrous and the Admirabilis. If his life is in danger, I’ll act despite that, and face any punishment for it.

—If his life is in danger? —I asked.

How could his life even be in danger, even if he were to be blown to dust, we could just put him back together. We had set one of those stakes that Caster had given us, and we didn’t had to worry about the Lunarians stealing pieces of him anymore. So what could Aechmea be talking about?

Then I saw it. Shirou had managed to skewer the Berserker with his blades, but this only slowed him a bit. When he prepared to use another attack, blades erupted from his arm instead, and a red liquid started to drop from it. It kind of looked like those times Phos had “lost control”, and the liquid itself remind me of Cinnabar’s mercury. But metal shouldn’t bleed anything. Bleed?

—We need to help him —I said, feeling there was something very wrong happening—, I am also a representative of the Lustrous, so I command you to ignore Shirou’s orders.

—Understood —the Prince said, and after giving a quick order to one of the bulky sundries, he jumped towards Shirou, reaching him in just one leap and managing to block the sword of their Saber.

The sundry then rellied the message to the rest and us all moved forward, making a circle around Shirou.

—H-hey, are you alright? —Bort asked.

It was weird to hear him sounding worried, but even I was a bit concerned. The blades on his arm started to vanish, and the red fluid soon stopped too. Looking at the spill on the ground made me feel uneasy.

—I’m fine now, but Phos must be…

—Forget about her and worry about you! —I yelled.

He turned towards me, with a surprised look on his face. It was only then that I noticed one of the blades that had emerged from his arm had cut the bandaged that had been covering his eyes. And I saw it, the teal irises that had formerly belonged to Phos. I feel relief, as I finally understood why I was worried about him. He was, after all, another victim of someone else’s body parts manipulating them. If I found him annoying it must certainly be due to Phos’ influence. I knew personally how heavy was to carry someone else’ will and ideals. I had to free him, just as Aechmea had done to me, it was the least I could do. No, it was what my true and freed self wanted to do it.

But despite how motivated I was feeling, I couldn’t just pin him down and gouge Phos’ eyes out of his face, at least not in the middle of the battlefield. I needed to speak to him about it later. For the time being, I felt that it was my responsibilities to protect him so he wouldn’t have any regret after he got his freedom. But just as we were regrouping and rethinking our strategy, we saw a huge explosion from the other side of the city. Enemies and allies stood in disbelief for a moment, and when Shirou turned towards me, he made a confused expression, and rubbed his eyes.

—W-what? What’s wrong?

—No, I just… —he said— I thought I saw Ghost behind you for a moment.

I turned around panicked, but there was no one. Aechmea had assured me that he had removed everything of him, and even if his dust was on the ground behind me, he shouldn’t have any memories connecting it to me. I must have been a mirage. I AM MYSELF, CAIRNGORN. I will live by my own choices, and I will not let anyone take my freedom away from me.


	51. 51. For your sake.

Day after day, I was just waiting for you to wake up. I stood at your side, doing not much more than sleep and meditate. Sometimes I would get flashes of my life before meeting you, when I was human, and when I lived on the moon, but I couldn’t remember them for long enough. 

I heard a gentle knock on the door, barely audible. The number of visitors had increased recently, the most diligent ones would come to give you their daily report, and others would just come to see if there had been any change in your state. Bort usually just peaked from the door, nodded towards me, and moved on. But due to the gentleness of the knocking, I had a good idea of who was at the other side of the door already. 

—Come in —I said—, Ghost.

She opened the door just enough to let herself in, and immediately closed it behind her. I thanked her consideration, as even the dim light of the sunset through the thick clouds was enough to hurt my eyes. Once the door was closed, the room was almost pitch black, illuminated only by a couple of jellyfishes who were so kind to lower their bioluminescent for my sake. 

—Good evening, Shirou —she gently said, as she changed the dried flowers of that room for fresh ones. She did that every day.

—How did things went today?

—It was pretty calm, I think. Bort and Zircon fought against that snake lady shadow servant again, and Goshe and Morga had an encounter with a new one that looked like a clown, but it threw bombs.   
—I’m sure Alexi has been really busy trying to catalogue all the new ones that have appeared.

Ghost sat next to me and poured me a cup of tea from a thermos I had carved some time ago. She poured another cup for herself, though she only liked to smell it. Finally, she poured a third cup and left it on the table. The drink was nothing more than hot water with some leaves of a plant Caster had recently found, but it was tolerable replacement. Caster had been really excited about her finding, so much that she was already talking about making an entire greenhouse.

—How are your eyes? —she asked. 

—I still can’t stand direct light —I told her —but I managed to stand in the hallway early with my eyes closed. I think I could go outside if I cover them, but I would need to learn how to fight blindfolded. It would be easier if I had Livy on my shoulder telling me where to aim…

—Don’t push yourself too much —she said, a bit sternly —we almost lost you because of that.

I couldn’t avoid chuckling a bit. In retrospective, I had been a big idiot for trying to fight like that, moreover without telling anyone about it. Ghost had saved me, and was still the only one who knew what was really happening to me. The others had suspicious, but only Caster had been so intrusive to ask until she got some answer. Still, I told her not to worry about it, the least I wanted to do was to give her more chores. 

I noticed Ghost’s posture and expression changed, as her other personality took over her body.

—Has… has he…? —he attempted to say.

I shook my head. You were still sleeping on the bed next to me. It has been almost a month since they grafted Lapis Lazuli’s head to your body. 

—I… I shouldn’t have voted —“Ghost”, or Cairgorn as I would come to know him later, said—. Cinnabar and the others choose to not vote, but I had to go out of my way to give my opinion.

The most sensible thing would be to comfort him, to tell him that it hadn’t been his fault, but I’ll be lying if I said I didn’t agree with him just a bit. He acted out of his best intentions, but it was still his vote the one that broke the draw. 

—Shirou, please don’t resent this child —Ghost spoke, once again in control of her body. My silence must have alerted her of my thoughts. 

—We haven’t recovered Phos’ original head —she continued—, and neither we had gathered enough phosphophyllite to make him a new one, so he would be in the same condition regardless. If you still want to hate someone, please hate me instead, as it was my idea from the very start. 

I closed my eyes.

—I don’t hate you, neither of you. I just miss Phos…

—Then, we just have to wait for her together, the three of us.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

—W-what? What’s wrong? —Cairn asked me, making me snap out of my daydreams.

I was still on the moon, still on the middle of the battle. The mirage that I had seen for a moment was gone. 

—No, I just… I thought I saw Ghost behind you for a moment —I replied. 

In just a moment, her expression turned from concern to panic, looking all around and pushing her back against Aechmea. She was terrified as if I had spoken of a literal ghost. 

—That was a very peculiar reaction —someone behind me said.

As the voice sounded oddly familiar and I was still distracted by Cairn, it took me a moment to notice it wasn’t the voice of anyone who had come with us. I quickly jumped away and turned in a swift move, placing myself between the stranger and Bort, Cairn, and Aechmea. The fact that they had reached us when we were surrounded by the shadow servants and lunarians allied to us was a clear sign of how dangerous that person could be. I traced several swords, ready to engage in battle, but after seeing her face, I lost all will to fight. 

She was looking at me with her usual grin. Her hair was short and orange as always, now covered on a straw hat. It was weird to see her wearing that light purple kimono, even more than seeing the absurdly large blade hanging for her back. 

—Taiga… 

—Yo, Shirou —she said—, it has been a long time, are you doing fine?

—A-Assassin?! —the enemy Saber spoke— what are you doing here?

—Hmmm? I got bored of guarding that black box, so I came to see what was going on. 

—Nonsense! —their Berserker spoke—, leaving your duties in this situation is unacceptable! 

He easily broke through all of our defenses and went directly against Taiga, sword and rifle already drawn out. He looked like an incoming train or even an avalanche, but the woman in front of me had a confident position, like she had nothing to fear. And she promptly demonstrated how true that was, unsheathing her unusually large katana and cutting Berserker in half in just the blink of an eye. 

—I-Impossible —the giant man managed to say as he started to vaporize. 

—AHHH!! Hijikata-san!! —Saber yelled. 

—So you are really betraying us?! —Archer growled. 

Taiga directed a glance towards me, with a sad smile on her face, just before turning back towards our enemies.

—Unfortunately, I can’t do that. Don’t worry about your friend; I didn’t damage his core, so he’ll reappear… eventually. I’ll get back to my post once I finish what I was doing, don’t mind me.

—Don’t mind me, she says… —Archer said, annoyed. 

—So you are really… the second Assassin? —I said. 

—Oh, you already meet the first one? Isn’t she a cutie! 

I didn’t reply, and she refused to turn towards me. 

—Listen, Shirou, your dear sister would really like to go back with you, I can’t wait to taste your cooking, and I really want to hear what you have been doing all this time. But... this body lacks the authority to defy Franny’s order to fulfill the grail war. I, and the nameless samurai I’m borrowing strength from, are fighting with all our might right now against that, so be grateful and promise to make us a full meal course once it is over. And of course, do your best to end this thing as quickly as possible too.

—I… I will. 

—Ah! I almost forget —she said, sounding a bit more upbeat—. You have noticed it too, right? After a hundred year of waiting, we have changed; the servants who were summoned for the Holy Grail War, the shadow servants, and… you too. 

—Yeah, I noticed… —I said, the ground was still splattered by the blood that gushed out of my arms— I… I am becoming weaker, and unstable…

—Hmm, is that how you see it? I think you are stopping yourself, as if you were afraid of breaking something around you. But you don’t need to fight blinded anymore, so you can aim, right?

Without waiting for a reply, she leaped away from there, reaching the walls of the city and from there, disappearing among the buildings. 

—Grrr, this is becoming annoying —Archer said —Okita, move the hell away from there, I’ll clean all this mess. 

—Wait, you are going to do THAT now?! 

—Of course! How can I call myself the demon king of the sixth heaven if I just guard the door! My name is Oda Nobunaga, witness the power of my Noble Phantasm; Three Thousand Worlds: Three Line Formation!

Around her, a myriad of rifles appeared out of nowhere, all aiming their muzzle towards us. She didn’t care if she were to hit her allies, with Saber as an exception, as long as she got us. 

—T-the shield! Deploy the shield! —Cairn said, pulling my arm. 

—I don’t think even the seven layers can withstand that much firepower —I admitted.

—Then, why are you smiling?! —Bort asked—, do you have a plan or did you lost your mind?!

I wasn’t aware I was smiling, and I most certainly didn’t had a plan, so the latter option was very likely. However, Taiga’s words had motivated me. Cogs where turning, forges were blazing.

—I am the bone of my sword! —I instinctively said— This body is made of infinite blades!

For each rifled aimed at us, I manifested a blade. They didn’t had to be legendary weapons full of mystery and power, just a piece of sharpened metal, strong enough to destroy the also ordinary rifles. The Archer was taken by surprise by the amount of blades that appeared, and that delayed her reaction for a second. With my eyes uncovered, I could trace her and her weapons easily, although she had done most of the work of revealing who she was already by herself.

Oda Nobunaga, a warlord who had tried to unify Japan, only to be betrayed and killed when the Honouji temple was set ablaze by fire arrows. I’m sure this attack brought bad memories to her, but I couldn’t held off if I wanted to win. I launched every single blade against her rifles before she had the chance to fire them. Iron clashing against iron and setting off the gunpowder, the sky became lit with explosions, and the shockwaves were enough to raise a cloud of dust and cover us all. Thankfully, we had set the anchors, so the shards would be fine. 

When the dust settled, the Archer was still guarding the entrance to the city, badly wounded and holding onto her last remaining rifle. She was still grinning.

—Not bad, not bad… —she said, aiming her weapon at me. 

In her state, I should be able to evade anything she could shoot at me and immobilize her, but as she had shown up, she wasn’t one to accept defeat so easily. I needed to put her down. Taiga had said something about them having a core, and Aechmea had confirmed it was what kept them anchored to this world, allowing them to “respawn” as if they were Lunarians. To eliminate her completely, I needed to destroy it.

—WAIT! —Saber said, jumping between us. 

I traced her too. She was Okita Soji, captain of the first division of the shinsengumi. She was also hurt, but she might stand a fight. To my surprise, however, she placed her sword on the floor and kneeled in front of it, with her head touching the ground.

—We surrender.

—Wha-? Okita, what are you doing?! —Nobunaga growled.

—I can tell, this man has killing instincts. If you keep fighting, you will cease to exist, and I rather humiliate myself than allow that to happen.

Archer tried to say something, but she couldn’t. She slumped against one of the entrance’s post and slumped down until she was sitting on the ground.

—Ugh, do whatever you want, I’m too tired… 

I threw a glance towards Aechmea, who was just a few steps behind me. 

—Both of you are under arrest, your trial and sentence would be determined once we have recovered control over the city —he said, manifesting a pair of shackles out of his cloud-like robes. 

With their “bosses” defeated, the rest of the enemy Lunarians swapped sides and we quickly defeated the shadow servants that didn’t surrender at first. With that, we had officially taken over the entrance and had free access to the city. I wanted to go inside immediately, but Aechmea insisted on resting five minutes. The Lunarians might be wandering ghost, but they also got tired apparently. My body was also feeling a bit numb. 

—Here, you lost it early —Bort said, handing me the red cloth that I have been using all these years to cover my eyes.

—Thank you —I said, and on impulse I put it over my face. 

It took me a moment to become aware that I didn’t need it anymore. It might have been because we were on a moon with a very thin atmosphere, or it might be that my eyes just became accustomed to my body. Or it might had to do something with Phos…

—I need to met with her as soon as possible… —I thought and got up from where I was sitting, tying up the cloth on my forehead instead of over my eyes. 

To my surprise, however, Cairn had placed herself right in front of me. She had a huge grin, and sparks on her eyes. 

—I-is something the matter? —I asked, a bit weirded out. 

—Not at all —she said, almost singing—I’m just seeing you in a new light. 

She skipped away towards Aechmea, and Bort and I interchanged a suspicious glare. The Prince was definitively a bad influence on her, the both of us thought.   
A few minutes after that, we finally entered the city, leaving behind some of the Lunarians and Shadow Servants to keep an eye on the prisoners. We kept breaking our group as Aechmea keep sending people to secure distinct buildings and other places. I was distracted by how familiar the place felt, although everything looked different, everything was still the same. The shops and parks I had gone with Franny, the streets we had walked together…

—There is it —Aechmea said, pointing to a huge building at the distance. 

I knew it, of course, the place where we had lived together, though at that moment it was just an apartment building. Now, it looked like a Ziggurat. I was feeling anxious, but nonetheless, I took a step ahead. I needed to finish this quickly, so I could go back and fulfill my promise to Taiga, so I could spent time carelessly with Phos, and so I could finally met with Franny.


End file.
